Influence of pulsed magnetic fields on the morphology of bone cells in early stages of growth

Abstract

The effect of electromagnetic fields on living systems has been studied both in vivo and in vitro in a wide range of organisms, cells and tissues. However, the mechanism of action of electromagnetic fields is not yet clearly defined. This paper presents the results of applying a pulsed magnetic field of 70 ms width, intensity of 0.65 mT at 4 Hz in human osteoblasts, during 45 min. The magnetic field application was conducted on crops of both 24 and 48 h of proliferation. The effect of applying magnetic fields was assessed using parameters such as cell density, protein content, distribution of F-actin fibrils and β-tubulin and integrity of nuclear structure. The results indicate no alteration in either protein synthesis or nuclear structure, or in the number of cells. However, we observed that exposure to these fields induces changes in the distribution of cytoskeletal proteins of osteoblasts.