Department of Morphology, Surgery and Experimental Medicine, Section of Pharmacology, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy.
Igea Biophysics Laboratory, 41012 Carpi, Italy.
Int J Mol Sci. 2020 Oct 28;21(21):8053. doi: 10.3390/ijms21218053.
Pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMFs) are emerging as an innovative, non-invasive therapeutic option in different pathological conditions of the central nervous system, including cerebral ischemia. This study aimed to investigate the mechanism of action of PEMFs in an in vitro model of human astrocytes, which play a key role in the events that occur following ischemia. 1321N1 cells were exposed to PEMFs or hypoxic conditions and the release of relevant neurotrophic and angiogenic factors, such as VEGF, EPO, and TGF-β1, was evaluated by means of ELISA or AlphaLISA assays. The involvement of the transcription factor HIF-1α was studied by using the specific inhibitor chetomin and its expression was measured by flow cytometry. PEMF exposure induced a time-dependent, HIF-1α-independent release of VEGF from 1321N1 cells. Astrocyte conditioned medium derived from PEMF-exposed astrocytes significantly reduced the oxygen-glucose deprivation-induced cell proliferation and viability decrease in the neuron-like cells SH-SY5Y. These findings contribute to our understanding of PEMFs action in neuropathological conditions and further corroborate their therapeutic potential in cerebral ischemia.
脉冲电磁场（PEMFs）作为一种创新的、非侵入性的治疗选择，正在出现在中枢神经系统的不同病理状态中，包括脑缺血。本研究旨在探讨 PEMFs 在体外人星形胶质细胞模型中的作用机制，星形胶质细胞在缺血后发生的事件中起着关键作用。将 1321N1 细胞暴露于 PEMFs 或低氧条件下，并通过 ELISA 或 AlphaLISA 测定法评估相关神经营养和血管生成因子（如 VEGF、EPO 和 TGF-β1）的释放。通过使用特异性抑制剂 chetomin 研究转录因子 HIF-1α的参与，并通过流式细胞术测量其表达。PEMF 暴露诱导 1321N1 细胞中 VEGF 的时间依赖性、HIF-1α 非依赖性释放。来自暴露于 PEMFs 的星形胶质细胞的星形胶质细胞条件培养基显著降低了氧葡萄糖剥夺诱导的神经元样细胞 SH-SY5Y 增殖和活力下降。这些发现有助于我们理解 PEMFs 在神经病理条件下的作用，并进一步证实其在脑缺血中的治疗潜力。
