Extremely low-frequency EMF facilitate both osteoblast and osteoclast activity through Wnt/β-catenin signaling in the zebrafish scale

Abstract

Overview

Electromagnetic fields (EMFs) are increasingly recognized as effective, noninvasive, and safe therapies for various bone disorders. However, understanding their cellular and tissue-level effects remains challenging due to variability in device frequencies. This study establishes an in vivo zebrafish scale model to investigate the specific impacts of extremely low-frequency EMFs (ELF-EMFs) on bone fracture healing.

Findings

• Exposure to ELF-EMFs at 10 millitesla (mT), 60 Hz increased both osteoblasts and osteoclasts in fractured zebrafish scales.
• No significant effects were observed at 3 or 30 mT.
• Gene expression analysis showed that 10 mT ELF-EMF exposure upregulated wnt10b and other Wnt target genes in the fractured scales.
• Enhanced β-catenin expression was predominantly noted at fracture sites.
• Inhibiting Wnt/β-catenin signaling via IWR-1-endo reduced both osteoblast and osteoclast numbers in ELF-EMF-exposed fractured scales.

Conclusion

These findings demonstrate that ELF-EMFs promote both osteoblast and osteoclast activity through the activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling during bone fracture healing. The study provides in vivo evidence that ELF-EMFs generated with standard commercial AC power supplies facilitate the healing process, reinforcing a biologically significant link between electromagnetic field exposure and bone cell activity—a relationship important to consider for EMF safety assessments.