Effect of Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Stimulation on the Growth Plate of the Tibia Bone of Rats: An In Vivo Study

Yoon-Young Sung,Ja-Ik Koo,Jae-Woo Shin,Eun-Mi Noh,Mi-Young Yun,Kyoung-Soo Min,Min-Jin Kim,Seung-Hyung Kim,Won-Kyung Yang

doi:10.3390/app11167571

Abstract

Currently, many children undergo precocious puberty, resulting in short stature due to premature closure of the growth plate. Pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) stimulation induces cell proliferation of articular chondrocytes. We developed a method for growth promotion using equipment with PEMF. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effects of PEMF on the growth rate of growth plates using an animal model. An experimental study was conducted on 16 3-week-old rats to validate the effects of the growth care device on growth and development by PEMF stimulation at 28 Hz and 20 Gauss. The tibia bones of the groups with and without PEMF administration were dissected after 10 days, and then, the length of the growth plate of the knee and levels of insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1 hormone in serum were measured. The length of the growth plate on the tibia bone and the levels of circulating IGF-1 were significantly increased by 25.6% and 13.6%, respectively, in the experimental group to which PEMF was applied compared to those of the control group, without any side effects. These results suggest that PEMF can safely stimulate growth of the growth plate in a non-invasive manner to promote bone growth.

Highlights

Pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMFs) have been widely employed since the 1970s to treat fractures that do not heal well through the normal bone healing process; PEMF is a safe, non-invasive, and efficacious method for the treatment of diseases associated with fractures and was first approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA)in 1979 [1,2]
Numerous studies have reported a therapeutic effect on fractures or other diseases in actual clinical use; it is known that PEMF therapy has no significant side effects [4,5]
DCpower powerthrough throughaaswitching switchingmode modepower power supply (SMPS), and energy in the form of pulses was transferred to the PEMF-generating supply (SMPS), and energy in the form of pulses was transferred to the PEMF-generating coil atat

Summary

Introduction

Pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMFs) have been widely employed since the 1970s to treat fractures that do not heal well through the normal bone healing process; PEMF is a safe, non-invasive, and efficacious method for the treatment of diseases associated with fractures and was first approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA)in 1979 [1,2]. The growth plate (physis) is a thin plate-shaped (narrow disc of cartilage) cartilage that is responsible for longitudinal bone growth and is the result of chondrocyte proliferation and differentiation [6,7] These plates consist of cartilage cells and chondrocytes, which form a scaffold that supports the formation of new bone tissue and are generated from stem cells called chondroprogenitors [8]. Various biological signals, including growth hormone, directly or indirectly divide and thicken the chondrocytes in the hypertrophic zone, and the cartilage on the side of the bone body is replaced with new bone, resulting in bone elongation [9]. It is still not clear how this process is maintained throughout childhood.

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