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Article Navigation >  CHINESE JOURNAL OF BURNS AND WOUNDS  >  > Accepted Manuscript
Cao Tao,Ji Peng,Zhang Zeng,et al.Effects of pulsed electromagnetic fields on high-glucose-induced proliferation inhibition of HUVECs and the underlying mechanisms[J].Chin J Burns Wounds,2026,42(9):1-10.DOI: 10.3760/cma.j.cn501225-20251216-00523.
Citation: Cao Tao,Ji Peng,Zhang Zeng,et al.Effects of pulsed electromagnetic fields on high-glucose-induced proliferation inhibition of HUVECs and the underlying mechanisms[J].Chin J Burns Wounds,2026,42(9):1-10.DOI: 10.3760/cma.j.cn501225-20251216-00523.
shu

Effects of pulsed electromagnetic fields on high-glucose-induced proliferation inhibition of HUVECs and the underlying mechanisms

doi: 10.3760/cma.j.cn501225-20251216-00523
  • 1.

    Department of Cell Biology, National Translational Science Center for Molecular Medicine, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an 710032, China

  • 2.

    Department of Burns and Cutaneous Surgery, PLA Burn Center, the First Affiliated Hospital, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an 710032, China

  • 3.

    Department of Wound Repair, Center for Wound Repair and Regenerative Medicine, the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325015, China

Funds:

General Program of National Natural Science Foundation of China 82272269

More Information
  • Corresponding author: Tao Ke, Email: tao-ke2001@163.com
  • Received Date: 2025-12-16
    Available Online: 2026-08-27
    Abstract
  •   Objective  To investigate the effects of pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMFs) on high-glucose (HG)-induced proliferation inhibition of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and the underlying mechanisms.  Methods  This study was an experimental research involving grouping design and factorial design. HUVECs were divided into control group with conventional culture, PEMF group exposed to PEMF stimulation with frequency of 15 Hz, intensity of 0.5 mT, and duration of 0.5 h/d for 2 consecutive days, HG group cultured with final molarity of 30 mmol/L glucose (hereinafter referred to as HG culture), and HG+PEMF group received the aforementioned PEMF stimulation while under HG culture. The cell proliferation levels were detected using cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) at 0 (immediately), 12, 24, and 48 h after culture. After the optimal PEMF stimulation duration 1.0 h/d was screened, HUVECs were collected and grouped as before. Except for the PEMF stimulation duration of 1.0 h/d, all other treatments remained the same. Western blotting was employed to detect the protein expression levels of Wnt-3a and β-catenin of cells in each group at 48 h after culture, transcriptomic sequencing was performed on cells in HG and HG+PEMF groups at 48 h after culture to screen for differentially expressed genes (DEGs) with significant differential expression, and Western blotting was used to detect the protein expression level of adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) of cells in each group at 48 h after culture. HUVECs were divided into HG group, HG+PEMF group, and APC overexpression group. The HG group cells received HG culture; the HG+PEMF group cells received PEMF stimulation with frequency of 15 Hz, intensity of 0.5 mT, and duration of 1.0 h/d for 2 consecutive days while under HG culture; the APC overexpression group cells were constructed into APC gene overexpression cells using plasmid transfection, followed by the same treatment as in HG+PEMF group. Cell proliferation levels were detected by CCK-8 at 0(immediately), 12, 24, and 48 h after culture, and protein expression levels of APC, β-catenin, and Wnt-3a were detected by Western blotting at 48 h after culture. The sample size for the experiments was three.  Results  At 24, 36, and 48 h after culture, the cell proliferation levels in HG group were significantly lower than those in control group (P<0.05). At 36 and 48 h after culture, the cell proliferation levels in HG+PEMF group were significantly increased compared with those in HG group (P<0.05). At 48 h after culture, the protein expression levels of Wnt-3a and β-catenin in HG group were significantly lower than those in control group and HG+PEMF group (P<0.05). Transcriptomic sequencing showed that compared with those in HG group, there were 573 DEGs with significant differential expression in HG+PEMF group of cells, among which the gene expression of the key regulatory protein of the Wnt pathway, APC, was significantly downregulated. At 48 h after culture, the protein expression level of APC in HG group of cells was significantly higher than that in control group and HG+PEMF group (with P values both <0.05). At 36 and 48 h after culture, the proliferation levels of cells in HG+PEMF group were 0.479±0.016 and 0.552±0.029, respectively, which were significantly higher than 0.363±0.019 and 0.437±0.010 in HG group and 0.358±0.005 and 0.439±0.020 in APC overexpression group (with P values all <0.05). At 48 h after culture, the protein expression level of APC in HG+PEMF group of cells was significantly lower than that in HG group and APC overexpression group (with P values both <0.05), and the protein expression levels of Wnt-3a and β-catenin were significantly higher than those in HG group and APC overexpression group (P<0.05).  Conclusions  PEMF stimulation with frequency of 15 Hz, intensity of 0.5 mT, and duration of 1.0 h/d for 2 consecutive days alleviates the inhibitory effect of HG on HUVEC proliferation. The mechanism involves the downregulation of APC protein expression by PEMF, which alleviates the suppression of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway and subsequently modulates Wnt-3a and β-catenin expressions.

     

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