An overview of the biological effects of extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields combined with ionizing radiation

Electromagnetic Modulation of Cell Behavior: Unraveling the Positive Impacts in a Comprehensive Review

There are numerous effective procedures for cell signaling, in which humans directly transmit detectable signals to cells to govern their essential behaviors. From a biomedical perspective, the cellular response to the combined influence of electrical and magnetic fields holds significant promise in various domains, such as cancer treatment, targeted drug delivery, gene therapy, and wound healing. Among these modern cell signaling methods, electromagnetic fields (EMFs) play a pivotal role; however, there remains a paucity of knowledge concerning the effects of EMFs across all wavelengths. It's worth noting that most wavelengths are incompatible with human cells, and as such, this study excludes them from consideration. In this review, we aim to comprehensively explore the most effective and current EMFs, along with their therapeutic impacts on various cell types. Specifically, we delve into the influence of alternating electromagnetic fields (AEMFs) on diverse cell behaviors, encompassing proliferation, differentiation, biomineralization, cell death, and cell migration. Our findings underscore the substantial potential of these pivotal cellular behaviors in advancing the treatment of numerous diseases. Moreover, AEMFs wield a significant role in the realms of biomaterials and tissue engineering, given their capacity to decisively influence biomaterials, facilitate non-invasive procedures, ensure biocompatibility, and exhibit substantial efficacy. It is worth mentioning that AEMFs often serve as a last-resort treatment option for various diseases. Much about electromagnetic fields remains a mystery to the scientific community, and we have yet to unravel the precise mechanisms through which wavelengths control cellular fate. Consequently, our understanding and knowledge in this domain predominantly stem from repeated experiments yielding similar effects. In the ensuing sections of this article, we delve deeper into our extended experiments and research.

Effect of rmEGF combined with ELF-EMF on promoting wound healing in rats

BACKGROUND

The process of wound healing is complex, and expediting it remains a challenge. The advantages of extremely low frequency electric and magnetic fields (ELF-EMF) are its non-invasive treatment, promotes healing and promotes myogenesis of C2C12 cells. Epidermal growth factor (EGF) is known to play a vital role in promoting wound healing, so a combination of ELF-EMF and EGF can have far-reaching significance.

OBJECTIVE

To study the effect of recombinant murine epidermal growth factor (rmEGF) combined with ELF-EMF on wound healing.

METHODS

Thirty-six rats were randomly divided into three groups: normal control group, EGF group, and ELF-EMF+EGF group, and a 20 mm × 20 mm dorsal wound was made. The wound healing rate of rats was calculated on the 3rd, 7th, 11th and 15th day. HE staining was used to observe the micro-morphological changes during the wound healing process.

RESULTS

The wound healing rate of EGF+ELF-EMF group was better than other groups. On the 15th day of wound healing, the wounds of each group were completely healed. On the 3rd, 7th, 11th and 15th day of HE staining, the early inflammatory cell infiltration, the arrangement of fibroblasts and the number of new capillaries in the wounds of EGF+ELF-EMF group were better than those of the other groups.

CONCLUSIONS

rmEGF combined with ELF-EMF significantly promotes wound healing in SD rats.

Biological Effects of Magnetic Storms and ELF Magnetic Fields

Magnetic fields are a constant and essential part of our environment. The main components of ambient magnetic fields are the constant part of the geomagnetic field, its fluctuations caused by magnetic storms, and man-made magnetic fields. These fields refer to extremely-low-frequency (<1 kHz) magnetic fields (ELF-MFs). Since the 1980s, a huge amount of data has been accumulated on the biological effects of magnetic fields, in particular ELF-MFs. However, a unified picture of the patterns of action of magnetic fields has not been formed. Even though a unified mechanism has not yet been generally accepted, several theories have been proposed. In this review, we attempted to take a new approach to analyzing the quantitative data on the effects of ELF-MFs to identify new potential areas for research. This review provides general descriptions of the main effects of magnetic storms and anthropogenic fields on living organisms (molecular-cellular level and whole organism) and a brief description of the main mechanisms of magnetic field effects on living organisms. This review may be of interest to specialists in the fields of biology, physics, medicine, and other interdisciplinary areas.

Cellular and molecular effects of non-ionizing electromagnetic fields

The way that living cells respond to non-ionizing electromagnetic fields (EMF), including static/extremely-low frequency and radiofrequency electromagnetic fields, fits the pattern of 'cellular stress response' - a mechanism manifest at the cellular level intended to preserve the entire organism. It is a set pattern of cellular and molecular responses to environmental stressors, such as heat, ionizing radiation, oxidation, etc. It is triggered by cellular macromolecular damage (in proteins, lipids, and DNA) with the goal of repairing and returning cell functions to homeostasis. The pattern is independent of the type of stressor encountered. It involves cell cycle arrest, induction of specific molecular mechanisms for repair, damage removal, cell proliferation, and cell death if damage is too great. This response could be triggered by EMF-induced alternation in oxidative processes in cells. The concept that biological response to EMF is a 'cellular stress response' explains many observed effects of EMF, such as nonlinear dose- and time-dependency, increased and decreased risks of cancer and neurodegenerative diseases, enhanced nerve regeneration, and bone healing. These responses could be either detrimental or beneficial to health, depending on the duration and intensity of the exposure, as well as specific aspects of the living organism being exposed. A corollary to electromagnetic hypersensitivity syndrome (EHS) could be an inappropriate response of the hippocampus/limbic system to EMF, involving glucocorticoids on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.