Low Strength Static Magnetic Field Inhibits the Proliferation, Migration, and Adhesion of Human Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells in a Restenosis Model Through Mediating Integrins β1-FAK, Ca2+ Signaling Pathway

Electromagnetic fields regulate iron metabolism: From mechanisms to applications

BACKGROUND

Electromagnetic fields (EMFs), as a form of physical therapy, have been widely applied in biomedicine. Iron, the most abundant trace metal in living organisms, plays a critical role in various physiological processes, and imbalances in its metabolism are closely associated with the development and progression of numerous diseases. Numerous studies have demonstrated that EMF exposureinduces significant changes in both systemic and cellular iron metabolism.

AIM OF REVIEW

This review aims to summarize the evidence and potential biophysical mechanisms underlying the role of EMFs in regulating iron metabolism, thereby enhancing the understanding of their biological mechanisms and expanding their potential applications in biomedical fields.

KEY SCIENTIFIC CONCEPTS OF REVIEW

In this review, we have synthesized research findings and proposed the hypothesis that the biophysical mechanisms of EMFs regulate iron metabolism involve the special electromagnetic properties of iron-containing proteins and iron-enriched tissues, as well as the modulation of membrane structure and function, ion channels, and the generation and activity of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS). Then, the review summarizes the latest advances in the effects of EMFs on iron metabolism and their safety, as well as their impact on immunoregulation, cardiovascular diseases, neurological diseases, orthopedic diseases, diabetes, liver injury, and cancer.

Static magnetic fields in regenerative medicine

All organisms on Earth live in the weak but ubiquitous geomagnetic field. Human beings are also exposed to magnetic fields generated by multiple sources, ranging from permanent magnets to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in hospitals. It has been shown that different magnetic fields can generate various effects on different tissues and cells. Among them, stem cells appear to be one of the most sensitive cell types to magnetic fields, which are the fundamental units of regenerative therapies. In this review, we focus on the bioeffects of static magnetic fields (SMFs), which are related to regenerative medicine. Most reports in the literature focus on the influence of SMF on bone regeneration, wound healing, and stem cell production. Multiple aspects of the cellular events, including gene expression, cell signaling pathways, reactive oxygen species, inflammation, and cytoskeleton, have been shown to be affected by SMFs. Although no consensus yet, current evidence indicates that moderate and high SMFs could serve as a promising physical tool to promote bone regeneration, wound healing, neural differentiation, and dental regeneration. All in vivo studies of SMFs on bone regeneration and wound healing have shown beneficial effects, which unravel the great potential of SMFs in these aspects. More mechanistic studies, magnetic field parameter optimization, and clinical investigations on human bodies will be imperative for the successful clinical applications of SMFs in regenerative medicine.

Prospects of 2D graphdiynes and their applications in desalination and wastewater remediation

Water is an indispensable part of human life that affects health and food intake. Water pollution caused by rapid industrialization, agriculture, and other human activities affects humanity. Therefore, researchers are prudent and cautious regarding the use of novel materials and technologies for wastewater remediation. Graphdiyne (GDY), an emerging 2D nanomaterial, shows promise in this direction. Graphdiyne has a highly symmetrical π-conjugated structure consisting of uniformly distributed pores; hence, it is favorable for applications such as oil-water separation and organic-pollutant removal. The acetylenic linkage in GDY can strongly interact with metal ions, rendering GDY applicable to heavy-metal adsorption. In addition, GDY membranes that exhibit 100% salt rejection at certain pressures are potential candidates for wastewater treatment and water reuse via desalination. This review provides deep insights into the structure, properties, and synthesis methods of GDY, owing to which it is a unique, promising material. In the latter half of the article, various applications of GDY in desalination and wastewater treatment have been detailed. Finally, the prospects of these materials have been discussed succinctly.

Static magnetic field: A potential tool of controlling stem cells fates for stem cell therapy in osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a kind of bone diseases characterized by dynamic imbalance of bone formation and bone absorption, which is prone to fracture, and seriously endangers human health. At present, there is a lack of highly effective drugs for it, and the existing measures all have some side effects. In recent years, mesenchymal stem cell therapy has brought a certain hope for osteoporosis, while shortcomings such as homing difficulty and unstable therapeutic effects limit its application widely. Therefore, it is extremely urgent to find effective and reliable means/drugs for adjuvant stem cell therapy or develop new research techniques. It has been reported that static magnetic fields(SMFs) has a certain alleviating and therapeutic effect on varieties of bone diseases, also promotes the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells derived from different tissues to a certain extent. Basing on the above background, this article focuses on the key words "static/constant magnetic field, mesenchymal stem cell, osteoporosis", combined literature and relevant contents were studied to look forward that SMFs has unique advantages in the treatment of osteoporosis with mesenchymal stem cells, which can be used as an application tool to promote the progress of stem cell therapy in clinical application.

Static Magnetic Fields Regulate T-Type Calcium Ion Channels and Mediate Mesenchymal Stem Cells Proliferation

The static magnetic fields (SMFs) impact on biological systems, induce a variety of biological responses, and have been applied to the clinical treatment of diseases. However, the underlying mechanisms remain largely unclear. In this report, by using human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) as a model, we investigated the biological effect of SMFs at a molecular and cellular level. We showed that SMF exposure promotes MSC proliferation and activates the expression of transcriptional factors such as FOS (Fos Proto-Oncogene, AP-1 Transcription Factor Subunit) and EGR1 (Early Growth Response 1). In addition, the expression of signal-transduction proteins p-ERK1/2 and p-JNK oscillate periodically with SMF exposure time. Furthermore, we found that the inhibition of the T-type calcium ion channels negates the biological effects of SMFs on MSCs. Together, we revealed that the SMFs regulate T-type calcium ion channels and mediate MSC proliferation via the MAPK signaling pathways.

Finger skin blood perfusion during exposure of ulnar and median nerves to the static magnetic field of a rare-earth magnet: A randomized pilot study

This pilot study's goal was to investigate the impacts of static magnetic fields (SMF) on finger skin blood perfusion (SBP) when exposing the ulnar artery and ulnar and medial nerves to a rare earth concentric magnet for 30 minutes. Control SBP was measured in 4th fingers of adults (n = 12, age 26.0 ± 1.4 years) for 15 minutes using laser-Doppler. Then, active-magnets were placed over one arm's ulnar and median nerves at the wrist and sham-magnets placed at corresponding sites on the other arm. Devices were randomly assigned and placed by an investigator "blinded" to device type. The maximum SMF perpendicular to skin was 0.28 T measured 2 mm from magnet surface. The tangential field at this distance was 0.20 T. SBP was analyzed and tested for differential effects attributable to magnets compared to shams in each of the 5-minute intervals over the full 45-minute experiment. Results showed no statistically significant difference between SBP measured on the magnet-treated side compared to the sham side. Magnet and sham side SBP values (mean ± SEM, arbitrary units) prior to device placement were 0.568 ± 0.128 vs. 0.644 ± 0.115, p = .859 and during device placement were 0.627 ± 0.135 vs. 0.645 ± 0.117, p = .857. In conclusion, these findings have failed to uncover any significant effects of the static magnetic field on skin blood perfusion in the young healthy adult population evaluated. Its potential for altering SBP in more mature persons or those with underlying conditions affecting blood flow has not been evaluated but represents the next target of research inquiry. ClinicalTrials.gov registration number is NCT04539704.

A Static Magnetic Field Inhibits the Migration and Telomerase Function of Mouse Breast Cancer Cells

Static magnetic field (SMF) has a potential as a cancer therapeutic modality due to its specific inhibitory effects on the proliferation of multiple cancer cells. However, the underlying mechanism remains unclear, and just a few studies have examined the effects of SMF on metastasis, an important concern in cancer treatment. In this study, we evaluated the effects of moderate SMF (~150 mT) on the proliferation and migration of 4T1 breast cancer cells. Our results showed that SMF treatment accelerated cell proliferation but inhibited cell migration. Further, SMF treatment shortened the telomere length, decreased telomerase activity, and inhibited the expression of the cancer-specific marker telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT), which may be related to expression upregulation of e2f1, a transcription repressor of TERT and positive regulator of the mitotic cell cycle. Our results revealed that SMF repressed both, cell migration and telomerase function. The telomerase network is responsive to SMF and may be involved in SMF-mediated cancer-specific effects; moreover, it may function as a therapeutic target in magnetic therapy of cancers.

Magnetic nanocarriers: Evolution of spinel ferrites for medical applications

A valuable site-directed application in the field of nanomedicine is targeted drug delivery using magnetic metal oxide nanoparticles by applying an external magnetic field at the target tissue. The magnetic property of these structures allows controlling the orientation and location of particles by changing the direction of the applied external magnetic field. Pharmaceutical design and research in the field of nanotechnology offer novel solutions for diagnosis and therapies. This review summarizes magnetic nanoparticles and magnetic spinel ferrit's properties, remarkable approaches in magnetic liposomes, magnetic polymeric nanoparticles, MRI, hyperthermia and especially magnetic drug delivery systems, which have recently developed in the field of magnetic nanoparticles and their medicinal applications. Here, we discuss spinel ferrite (SF) as magnetic materials that are a significant class of composite metal oxides. They contain ferric ions and have the general structural formula M²⁺Fe₂³⁺O₄ (where M = Co,Ni,Zn,etc.). This structure indicates unique multifunctional properties, such as excellent magnetic characteristics, high specific surface area, surface active sites, high chemical stability, tuneable shape and size, and options for functionalization. The review assesses the current efforts on synthesis, properties and medical application of magnetic spinel ferrites nanoparticles based on cobalt, nickel and zinc. Based on this review, it can be concluded that MNPs and SFNPs have unlimited ability in biomedical applications. However, the practical application of SFNPs on a huge scale still needs to be considered and evaluated.

Static Magnetic Field (SMF) as a Regulator of Stem Cell Fate - New Perspectives in Regenerative Medicine Arising from an Underestimated Tool

Tissue engineering and stem cell-based therapies are one of the most rapidly developing fields in medical sciences. Therefore, much attention has been paid to the development of new drug-delivery systems characterized by low cytotoxicity, high efficiency and controlled release. One of the possible strategies to achieve these goals is the application of magnetic field and/or magnetic nanoparticles, which have been shown to exert a wide range of effects on cellular metabolism. Static magnetic field (SMF) has been commonly used in medicine as a tool to increase wound healing, bone regeneration and as a component of magnetic resonance technique. However, recent data shed light on deeper mechanism of SMF action on physiological properties of different cell populations, including stem cells. In the present review, we focused on SMF effects on stem cell biology and its possible application as a tool for controlled drug delivery. We also highlighted the perspectives, in which SMF can be used in future therapies in tissue engineering due to its easy application and a wide range of possible effects on cells and organisms.

Shielding of the Geomagnetic Field Alters Actin Assembly and Inhibits Cell Motility in Human Neuroblastoma Cells

Accumulating evidence has shown that absence of the geomagnetic field (GMF), the so-called hypomagnetic field (HMF) environment, alters the biological functions in seemingly non-magnetosensitive cells and organisms, which indicates that the GMF could be sensed by non-iron-rich and non-photo-sensing cells. The underlying mechanisms of the HMF effects on those cells are closely related to their GMF sensation but remain poorly understood so far. Previously, we found that the HMF represses expressions of genes associated with cell migration and cytoskeleton assembly in human neuroblastoma cells (SH-SY5Y cell line). Here, we measured the HMF-induced changes on cell morphology, adhesion, motility and actin cytoskeleton in SH-SY5Y cells. The HMF inhibited cell adhesion and migration accompanied with a reduction in cellular F-actin amount. Moreover, following exposure to the HMF, the number of cell processes was reduced and cells were smaller in size and more round in shape. Furthermore, disordered kinetics of actin assembly in vitro were observed during exposure to the HMF, as evidenced by the presence of granule and meshed products. These results indicate that elimination of the GMF affects assembly of the motility-related actin cytoskeleton, and suggest that F-actin is a target of HMF exposure and probably a mediator of GMF sensation.