2023, Vol. 27 ›› Issue (1): 145-151

Biological effects of magnetic field on osteogenesis of mesenchymal stem cells

Zhang Jinglan, Zhang Binjing, Chen Yifei, Zhang Chenyue, Hu Zhiai, Hu Haikun   

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Mesenchymal stem cells, with self-replication and multidirectional differentiation potential, attracted much attention in the field of bone tissue regeneration. As a non-invasive physical stimulation factor, the magnetic field can effectively regulate the biological behaviors of mesenchymal stem cells such as adhesion, proliferation, osteogenic differentiation and mineralization, which means that it has a broad application prospect in bone tissue regeneration medicine. The effect of the magnetic field depends on parameters such as magnetic field strength, frequency and exposure time. Due to the window effect, the appropriate parameter range of magnetic field promoting bone regeneration remains to be clarified.
OBJECTIVE: To review the effects of different magnetic fields and different magnetic parameters on osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells as well as the possible mechanisms, and to summarize the appropriate parameters for promoting proliferation and osteogenic differentiation.
METHODS: Databases of CNKI and PubMed were searched for relevant articles published from January 2010 to September 2021 using the keywords including “magnetic field, static magnetic field, pulsed electromagnetic field, mesenchymal stem cells, proliferation, osteogenic differentiation, bone regeneration, bone repair” in Chinese and English. A few classic early articles were also included. By reading the titles and abstracts, a preliminary screening was conducted. Repetitive studies, low-quality or irrelevant articles were excluded. Finally, a total of 56 articles were retained and analyzed for this review.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: (1) Moderate static magnetic field, low frequency or low intensity pulsed electromagnetic field, have positive effects on the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells. High-frequency pulsed electromagnetic field produces obvious inhibitory effect. (2) The magnetic field modulation effect was positively correlated with the total exposure time, but its effect did not increase with the time of single intermittent exposure. (3) Factors outside the magnetic field, such as stem cell type, differentiation stage, and cell density, also have complex effects on the biological effects of the magnetic field, which should be paid attention to in clinic. (4) Magnetic fields have effects on cellular targets such as plasma membrane, cytoskeleton and ion channel. The possible mechanisms mainly include magnetomechanical interaction, electrodynamic interaction and free radical effect.
Key words: magnetic field, mesenchymal stem cell, static magnetic field, pulsed electromagnetic field, magnetic field parameter, proliferation, osteogenic differentiation, bone regeneration