Biophysical stimulation of tissue healing mediated by IGF-II

Cells and tissues respond to a large variety of extracellular signals, including electromagnetic fields (EMF). Recent studies have demonstrated that combined AC and DC magnetic fields may couple specifically to ion dependent cellular processes. This coupling suggests an extraordinary potential for use of these combined magnetic fields for tissue healing applications in clinical situations. To this end, we have perfomed studies on in vitro osteoblast and in vivo rat osteoporosis model systems. Since osteoporosis is a result of impaired bone formation/bone resoprtion, we proposed to test whether direct osteoblast activation via calcium-dependent pathways would prevent bone loss in a model of hormonally induced osteoporosis. The cellular studies addressed the question of whether combined magnetic fields could induce cell proliferation, and whether this effect was based on autocrine growth factor (insulin-like growth factor; IGF-II) stimulation by osteoblasts.