Effects of pulsed electromagnetic fields on osteoporosis model

The purpose of this paper was to investigate the preventive effects and long term effects of extremely low frequency pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMFs), generated by circular coils and pulsed electromagnetic fields stimulators, on osteoporosis in bilaterally ovariectomized rats. In preventive experiment, thirty three-month old female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into three different groups: sham (SHAM), ovariectomy (OVX), PEMFs stimulation (PEMFs). All rats were subjected to bilaterally ovariectomy except those in SHAM group. The PEMFs group was exposed to pulsed electromagnetic fields with frequency 15 Hz, peak magnetic induction density 2.2mT and exposure time 2 hours per day. The bone mineral density (BMD) of vertebra and left femur were measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry at eighth week, twelfth week and sixteenth week after surgery. In long term effects experiment, forty four rats were randomly divided into sham (14 rats, SHAM), ovariectomy group (10 rats, OVX), 15Hz PEMFs group(10 rats, 15Hz) and 30Hz PEMFs group(10 rats, 30Hz) at twenty-sixth week after surgery. Rats in PEMFs groups were stimulated sixteen weeks. In preventive experiment, the Corrected BMD of vertebra and femur was significantly higher than that of OVX group after 16 weeks (P<0.001, P<0.001 respectively). In long term effects experiment, the vertebral BMD of 15Hz PEMFs group and 30Hz PEMFs group was significantly higher than that of OVX groups (P<0.01, P<0.05 respectively). The experimental results demonstrated that extremely low intensity, low frequency, single pulsed electromagnetic fields significantly slowed down the loss of corrected vertebral and femoral BMD in bilaterally ovariectomized rats and suggest that PEMFs may be beneficial in the treatment of osteoporosis.

Duke Scholars

Author Xiaowei Yang Computer Science