Experimental study of the effects of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields on animals with soft tissue wounds

The effect of radio frequency electromagnetic fields (RF EMF) was studied on Wistar rats with excised full-thickness dermal wounds in the interscapular region. The wounded regions of experimental animals were subjected to EMF for 30 min daily during the first 5 days after wound infliction. Control animals received no treatment. We used RF EMF with (1) frequency 53.53 GHz without modulation; (2) frequency 42.19 GHz without modulation; (3) frequency 42.19 GHz, but with a frequency modulation band 200-MHz wide. On the 7th day the animals were terminated and the granulation-fibrous tissue (GFT) developed in the wounds was subjected to complex quantitative biochemical analysis. RF EMF without frequency modulation decreased the amounts of glycoprotein macromolecules, diminishing the inflammatory exudation. In striking contrast, under the influence of RF EMF with frequency modulation, hexoses and especially sialic acid concentrations were significantly elevated (P < 0.001). This indicated intensification of exudative phenomena. As a consequence of inflammation inhibition in the treatment without frequency modulation, the total collagen accumulation was lowered. However, when frequency was modulated, the inflammatory phenomena were intensified, and pronounced accumulation of collagenous proteins was noted. Thus, our experiments confirm the effects of non-thermal EMF on the reparative-proliferative processes of animals with soft tissue wounds.