The effect of pulsed electromagnetic field (Diapulse) on cellular systems

The effect of a 27.12 MHz pulsed electromagnetic field (Diapulse) on microbial growth is investigated. A strain of K 12 E. coli grown in complete Pennassay medium is subjected to Diapulse action for 30 min, at 8 hrs and 12 hrs of growth. In this experimental set-up, designed to be closed to the physiological conditions of open wounds, the Diapulse action does not promote any increase of cell population, indicating the safety of this type of therapy for wound healing process. The same K 12 E. coli strain grown in Pennassay medium for 2 hours is inoculated into a minimal growth medium and the lagless exponential growth thus obtained is followed by a spectrophotometric method. Diapulse field is applied to this lagless phase of cellular cultures at 30, 60, and 90 minutes after inoculation. A slight increase in the number of cells was observed at 2 and 4 hours after the Diapulse application, when the cultures were previously subjected to Diapulse action between the period of 60 and 90 minutes of their growth. A possible molecular mechanism for these effects is discussed.