ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the in vitro behaviors of bone cells, mostly osteoblasts, under the influence of electrical (EF) and electromagnetic (EMF) fields. The galvanotaxis or electrotaxis of osteogenic cells in EF was studied by Ferrier using time-lapse photography. A variety of growth factors are involved in bone formation, including insulin-like growth factors (IGFs), transforming growth factors (TGFs), and bone morphogenetic growth factors (BMPs). In addition to EMF, EF also modulates bone cell gene activation and protein production. Electrical stimulation (ES) and bone mineralization are a complex phenomenon involving both cellular and noncellular processes. Ion enrichment caused by electrophoresis and surface charge is important factors of cathodal apatite formation. The chapter also deals with the mineralization caused by cellular processes under the influence of well-defined ES, which is mostly in vitro. Osteocytes, the most abundant cell type in bone, were less studied but still found to be responsive to ES.
