Palliative effect of rotating magnetic field on glucocorticoid-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head in rats by regulating osteoblast differentiation

With the substantial increase in the overuse of glucocorticoids (GCs) in clinical medicine, the prevalence of glucocorticoid-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head (GC-ONFH) continues to rise in recent years. However, the optimal treatment for GC-ONFH remains elusive. Rotating magnetic field (RMF), considered as a non-invasive, safe and effective approach, has been proved to have multiple beneficial biological effects including improving bone diseases. To verify the effects of RMF on GC-ONFH, a lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and methylprednisolone (MPS)-induced in vivo rat model, and an MPS-induced in vitro cell model have been employed. The results demonstrate that RMF alleviated bone mineral loss and femoral head collapse in GC-ONFH rats. Meanwhile, RMF reduced serum lipid levels, attenuated cystic lesions, raised the expression of anti-apoptotic proteins and osteoprotegerin (OPG), while suppressed the expression of pro-apoptotic proteins and nuclear factor receptor activator-κB (RANK) in GC-ONFH rats. Besides, RMF also facilitated the generation of ALP, attenuated apoptosis and inhibits the expression of pro-apoptotic proteins, facilitated the expression of OPG, and inhibited the expression of RANK in MPS-stimulated MC3T3-E1 cells. Thus, this study indicates that RMF can improve GC-ONFH in rat and cell models, suggesting that RMF have the potential in the treatment of clinical GC-ONFH.