Intermittent ELF-MF Induce an Amplitude-Window Effect on Umbilical Cord Blood Lymphocytes.

In a previous study of the effects of intermittent extremely low frequency (ELF) magnetic fields (MF) on umbilical cord blood lymphocytes (UCBL), we evaluated MF amplitudes between 6 µT and 24 µT and found an effect only for those below 13 µT. This suggested the existence of an amplitude window. In this brief communication, we further tested this hypothesis. UCBLs from healthy newborns were isolated and exposed for 72 h to an intermittent ELF-MF (triangular, 7.8 Hz, 250 s ON/250 s OFF) with 6 different amplitudes between 3 µT and 12 µT, utilizing an oblong coil. Percentage of viable, early apoptotic (EA), and late apoptotic/necrotic (LAN) cells were determined by flow cytometry. Moreover, reactive oxygen species (ROS) were determined at 1 h and 3 h of the exposure. Like in our previous work, neither EA, nor LAN, nor ROS were statistically significantly affected by the intermittent ELF-MF. However, the percentage of viable cells was decreased by exposure to the fields with intensities of 6.5 µT and 12 µT (p < 0.05; and p = 0.057 for 8.5 µT). ELF-MF decreased the percentage of viable cells for fields down to 6.5 µT, but not for 5 µT, 4 µT, or 3 µT. Combined with our previous findings, the results reported here indicate an amplitude window effect between 6 µT and 13 µT. The obtained data are in line with a notion of amplitude and frequency windows, which request scanning of both amplitude and frequency while studying the ELF-MF effects.

Do 50/60 Hz magnetic fields influence oxidative or DNA damage responses in human SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells?

PURPOSE: We investigated the possible effects of 50 and 60 Hz magnetic fields (MFs) on reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, DNA damage, DNA damage repair rate, as well as gene expression related to oxidative stress and DNA damage signaling. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Human SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells were sham-exposed or exposed to 100 µTRMS MFs for 24 h, then assayed or further treated with 100 µM menadione for 1 h before the assay. The levels of ROS and cytosolic superoxide anion (O2•-) were assayed fluorometrically. DNA damage and gene expression were assayed by comet assay and RT-qPCR, respectively. To examine whether MFs affected DNA damage repair rate, cells were allowed to repair their DNA for 1 or 2 h after menadione treatment and then assayed for DNA damage. RESULTS: There was suggestive evidence of a general low-magnitude increase in the expression of ROS-related genes (primarily genes with antioxidant activity) when quantified immediately after MF exposure, suggesting a response to a small increase in ROS level. The possible upregulation of ROS-related genes is supported by the finding that the level of menadione-induced ROS was consistently decreased by 50 Hz MFs (not significantly by 60 Hz MFs) in several measurements 30-60 min after MF exposure. MF exposures did not affect cytosolic O2•- levels, DNA damage, or its repair rate. Changes in the expression of DNA damage-signaling genes in the MF-exposed cells did not exceed the expected rate of false-positive findings. No firm evidence was found for differential effects from 50 vs. 60 Hz MFs. CONCLUSIONS: While only weak effects were found on the endpoints measured, the results are consistent with MF effects on ROS signaling.

A new class of signals for magnetobiology research.

The great majority of experimental and theoretical studies in magnetobiology explored and tried to explain bioeffects on organisms (ranging from bacteria to humans) upon exposure to variable (AC) magnetic fields (MF) with a pure sinusoidal waveform, typically combined with a static (DC) component. In this report, a new class of signals is presented and posed as a relevant candidate for research in magnetobiology. The proposed signals are derived within the classic theory of the precession of a magnetic moment in a DC + AC MF in a parallel configuration. They display a frequency modulation such that the phase change per unit time of the applied AC field is, at all times, identical to that of the precession of the magnetic moment to which the field was tuned (considering its gyromagnetic ratio). In other words, applied AC field and precession of the 'engaged' magnetic moment are phase-locked. These phase-locked frequency modulated (PLFM) signals are discussed in the context of current literature, and possible future experimental and theoretical developments are suggested.

A high throughput screening system of coils for ELF magnetic fields experiments: proof of concept on the proliferation of cancer cell lines.

BACKGROUND: It has been demonstrated that relatively small variations of the parameters of exposure to extremely low frequency magnetic fields (ELF-MF) can change significantly the outcome of experiments. Hence, either in trying to elucidate if these fields are carcinogenic, or in exploring their possible therapeutic use, it is desirable to screen through as many different exposures as possible. The purpose of this work is to provide a proof of concept of how a recently reported system of coils allows testing different field exposures, in a single experiment. METHODS: Using a novel exposure system, we subjected a glioblastoma cancer cell line (U251) to three different time modulations of an ELF-MF at 60 different combinations of the alternated current (AC) and direct current (DC) components of the field. One of those three time modulations was also tested on another cell line, MDA-MB-231 (breast cancer). After exposure, proliferation was assessed by colorimetric assays. RESULTS: For the U251 cells, a total of 180 different exposures were tested in three different experiments. Depending on exposure modulation and AC field intensity (but, remarkably, not on DC intensity), we found the three possible outcomes: increase (14.3% above control, p < 0.01), decrease (16.6% below control, p < 0.001), and also no-effect on proliferation with respect to control. Only the time modulation that inhibited proliferation of U251 was also tested on MDA-MB-231 cells which, in contrast, showed no alteration of their proliferation on any of the 60 AC/DC field combinations tested. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated, for the first time, the use of a novel system of coils for magnetobiology research, which allowed us to find that differences of only a few µT resulted in statistically different results. Not only does our study demonstrate the relevance of the time modulation and the importance of finely sweeping through the AC and DC amplitudes, but also, and most importantly, provides a proof of concept of a system that sensibly reduces the time and costs of screening.