Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 30, 2026
Peptides from Phage Display Library Modulate Gene Expression in Mesenchymal Cells and Potentiate Osteogenesis in Unicortical Bone Defects
Published on: December 11, 2010
Pulsed electromagnetic fields simultaneously induce osteogenesis and upregulate transcription of bone morphogenetic
T Bodamyali1, B Bhatt, F J Hughes
1School of Postgraduate Medicine, University of Bath, Claverton Down, United Kingdom.
Abstract:
Pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMF) are successfully employed in the treatment of a variety of orthopaedic conditions, particularly delayed and nonunion fractures. In this study, we examined PEMF effects on in vitro osteogenesis by bone nodule formation and on mRNA expression of bone morphogenetic proteins 2 and 4 by reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in cultured rat calvarial osteoblasts. PEMF exposure induced a significant increase in both the number (39% over unexposed controls) and size (70% larger compared to unexposed controls) of bone-like nodules formed. PEMF also induced an increase in the levels of BMP-2 and BMP-4 mRNA in comparison to controls. This effect was directly related to the duration of PEMF exposure. This study shows that clinically applied PEMF have a reproducible osteogenic effect in vitro and simultaneously induce BMP-2 and -4 mRNA transcription. This supports the concept that the two effects are related.
