Investigation of therapeutic effects of 5 Hz and 15 Hz pulsed electromagnetic fields on diabetic peripheral neuropathy in streptozotocin-induced rats

Diabetes mellitus (DM) widely seen without discriminating the sex of the population and increasing macrovascular (cardiovascular) and microvascular (retinopathy, nephropathy and neuropathy) is an autoimmune disease that causes the complications. In studies diabetes together diabetic neuropathy with low-frequency magnetic field applications, stimulate peripheral blood mononuclear cells, that has been reported to help the healing of angiogenesis and diabetic foot ulcers. The aim of our study is to determine the effects of 5 Hz and 15 Hz low frequency pulsed magnetic fields in the treatment of streptozotocin induced peripheral diabetic neuropathy. In our studies were used 60 rats of Wistar albino species. The rats were divided into 6 groups, control, diabetes, 5 Hz and 15 Hz PMF. Rats of PMF groups were exposed to 5 and 15 Hz frequency pulsed magnetic field for 8 weeks, 5 days a week for 1 hour on day. During the experimental period blood glucose levels and weights of the rats wermeasured in once a week. mechanical and thermal plantar testing were done and at the end of the experiments, rats received blood from their hearts, the serum of rats were measured insulin level (INS), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-2 (IL-2), interleukin-6 (IL-6). In our study, the weight of rats in K and K-PMA groups were increased at the end of 8 weeks in comparison of initial values at the beginning of the experiment whereas the blood glucose levels were decreased; the weight and the blood glucose levels of rats in D and D-PMF groups were decreased. However, these changes were not statistically significant. After 8 weeks, INS levels and IL-2, IL-6 and TNF-α were measured in blood samples from rats in all groups, Values in the K and D subgroups vary somewhat with PMF, but because of high fluctuations in the results, the changes were not statistically significant. There was a significant difference between D-PMF group and D group in thermal latency and mechanical threshold values, PMF stimulation In diabetic rats, thermal and mechanical stimuli significantly inhibited the development of hypersensitivity. The current study demonstrates that treatment with PMF might prevent the development of abnormalities observed in animal models for DPN. However, further research is required to elucidate the specific mechanisms of PMF on DPN and to confirm the applicability of PMF for clinical practice.