Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Protects Against Brain Injury after Intracerebral Hemorrhage: Involvement of Anti-Inflammatory Processes and Hematoma Clearance Via CD36

Intracerebral hemorrhage causes high mortality and morbidity, but its therapy methods are limited. In the present study, pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) was demonstrated to have beneficial effects on an intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) model. This study explored the effects and underlying mechanisms of PEMF in a mouse model of ICH and cultured BV2 cells. PEMF was applied 4 hours after collagenase-induced ICH at day 0 and 4 hours per day for seven consecutive days. The expression levels of proinflammatory factors were assessed by ELISA kits and western blotting. Hematoma volume was measured by histological analysis. The effects of PEMF on phagocytosis of the erythrocytes were observed in cultured BV2 cells and ICH mouse models. Seven days after ICH, the hematoma volume was significantly reduced in PEMF-treated animals compared to nontreated mice. We found that PEMF decreased the hematoma volume and the expression levels of proinflammatory factors after ICH. Moreover, PEMF enhanced the erythrophagocytosis of microglia via CD36. Furthermore, we found that downregulation CD36 with Genistein blocked the effects of PEMF-induced hematoma clearance and anti-inflammations effects. Thus, the PEMF-mediated promotion of neurological functions may at least partly involve anti-inflammatory processes and hematoma clearance. These results suggest that PEMF treatment promoted the hematoma clearance and alleviated the inflammation after ICH.