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Review
. 2023 May 16;14(1):133.
doi: 10.1186/s13287-023-03303-w.

Electromagnetic fields regulate calcium-mediated cell fate of stem cells: osteogenesis, chondrogenesis and apoptosis

Tian Ma  1 , Qing Ding  1 , Chaoxu Liu  2 , Hua Wu  3
Affiliations
Review

Electromagnetic fields regulate calcium-mediated cell fate of stem cells: osteogenesis, chondrogenesis and apoptosis

Tian Ma et al. Stem Cell Res Ther. .

Abstract

Electromagnetic fields (EMF) are increasing in popularity as a safe and non-invasive therapy. On the one hand, it is widely acknowledged that EMF can regulate the proliferation and differentiation of stem cells, promoting the undifferentiated cells capable of osteogenesis, angiogenesis, and chondroblast differentiation to achieve bone repair purpose. On the other hand, EMF can inhibit tumor stem cells proliferation and promote apoptosis to suppress tumor growth. As an essential second messenger, intracellular calcium plays a role in regulating cell cycle, such as proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. There is increasing evidence that the modulation of intracellular calcium ion by EMF leads to differential outcomes in different stem cells. This review summarizes the regulation of channels, transporters, and ion pumps by EMF-induced calcium oscillations. It furtherly discusses the role of molecules and pathways activated by EMF-dependent calcium oscillations in promoting bone and cartilage repair and inhibiting tumor stem cells growth.

Keywords: Biosafety; Calcium ion; Calcium oscillations; Electromagnetic fields; Stem cells; Tumor stem cells.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Cascades of EMF-induced calcium ion. Electromagnetic fields stimulation induces calcium oscillations in stem cells, and activation of calcium ion after endocytosis can activate multiple downstream signaling pathways that promote stem cell proliferation, osteogenic differentiation or chondrogenic differentiation[18, 20, 40, 70, 71, 74, 79]. The figure was created with BioRender.com
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Types of EMF-induced calcium oscillations. Electromagnetic fields can activate ion channels to promote calcium inward flow and also regulate intracellular calcium pools, endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria to cause calcium oscillations. The figure was created with BioRender.com
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Epidemiological investigation results. According to epidemiological findings Electromagnetic fields may be a risk factor for cancer in children, but there is no evidence of cancer in adults. EMF is safe and reliable as a non-invasive treatment for adults. The figure was created with BioRender.com
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Electromagnetic fields-dependent calcium-mediated stem cell and tumor cell fate. EMF mediates calcium ion oscillation in stem cells, and calcium ion activate NO molecules, which further activate the osteogenic differentiation pathway and promote osteogenic differentiation of stem cells; calcium ion can activate a small amount of ROS molecules, which further activate the chondrogenic differentiation pathway and promote chondrogenic differentiation of stem cells. EMF causes calcium overload in tumor cells and a large amount of ROS activation, leading to apoptosis. The figure was created with BioRender.com
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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