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Updated: Jul 8, 2026
13:29
Electric and Magnetic Field Devices for Stimulation of Biological Tissues
Published on: May 15, 2021
Pulsed electromagnetic fields accelerate normal and diabetic wound healing by increasing endogenous FGF-2 release
Matthew J Callaghan1, Edward I Chang, Natalie Seiser
1Palo Alto, Calif.; New York, N.Y.; and Parsippany, N.J. From Stanford University Medical Center, New York University Medical Center, and EBI, L.P., Inc.
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
|January 8, 2008
Summary
Pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMFs) accelerate wound healing in diabetic and normal mice by increasing fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) and promoting angiogenesis. PEMFs also prevent tissue necrosis in diabetic skin, offering potential therapeutic benefits.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Regenerative Medicine
- Wound Healing Research
Background:
- Chronic wounds, especially in diabetic patients, cause significant health issues and economic burden.
- Diabetic wound healing is impaired, leading to complications like tissue necrosis.
- Current treatments for chronic wounds have limitations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the efficacy of pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMFs) in accelerating wound healing in diabetic and normal mice.
- To determine the underlying mechanisms of PEMF-driven wound healing, focusing on fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) and angiogenesis.
- To assess the potential of PEMFs in preventing tissue necrosis in ischemic diabetic tissue.
Main Methods:
- Wounding and exposure to PEMFs in diabetic (db/db) and normal (C57BL6) mice.
- Assessment of gross wound closure, cell proliferation, and vascularity (CD31 density).
- Analysis of FGF-2 levels in cultured endothelial cells exposed to PEMFs and topical application of conditioned medium; assessment of necrosis, oxygen tension, and vascularity in ischemic skin flaps of diabetic mice exposed to PEMFs.
Main Results:
- PEMFs significantly accelerated wound closure in both diabetic and normal mice.
- Increased cell proliferation and CD31 density were observed in PEMF-treated groups.
- PEMF exposure led to a three-fold increase in FGF-2, which enhanced wound healing upon topical application. Diabetic mice treated with PEMFs showed no tissue necrosis and maintained comparable oxygen tension and vascularity to normal controls.
Conclusions:
- PEMFs accelerate wound healing in diabetic and normal conditions via FGF-2-mediated angiogenesis.
- PEMFs effectively prevent tissue necrosis in response to ischemic insult in diabetic models.
- Noninvasive angiogenic stimulation by PEMFs shows promise for preventing diabetic ulcers, necrosis, and amputations.
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