Exploring the Therapeutic Potential of Electromagnetic Field Exposure from Wireless Power Transfer Systems in Neural Regeneration Post-spinal Cord Injury
摘要
The present study evaluates the therapeutic efficacy of exposure to electromagnetic fields generated by wireless power transfer systems on neural regeneration in spinal cord injury (SCI) models. Subjects were exposed to electromagnetic exposure with a frequency of 13.56 MHz and intensity of 10 mW/cm2 for 2 h daily within a 4-week period using rat models of spinal cord injury (SCI). Histopathological examinations showed significant improvement in the cellular repair processes where the axons were repaired and the remyelination took place at the lesion site. Functional recovery-inferred through the Basso, Beattie and Bresnahan (BBB) loco-motor scale-was determined to be 40% improvement in motor performance between EMF-treated subjects. Analysis of neuroinflammatory biomarkers showed a 25% reduction in pro-inflammatory cytokines. This suggests the probable attenuation of inflammation. This empirical evidence has also been modeled by computer simulations showing that EMF exposure may facilitate regeneration of neural processes via alteration of electro-physio properties in biological tissues. The results highlight the emerging possibility that EMF exposure in WPT could serve as a potential, non-invasive therapeutic mode for SCI recovery, further calling for optimization of the exposure parameters and progress in translational research toward clinical application.