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Quantitative proteomics reveals effects of environmental radiofrequency electromagnetic fields on embryonic neural stem cells

Electromagnetic biology and medicine · 2023 · Mixed · Low evidence

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MixedLow evidencePaper 405

No differences were detected between sham and RF-exposed groups in cell proliferation, cell cycle distribution, or apoptosis. Differences in abundance of 23 proteins were detected (P < 0.05), with some consistent transcript-level changes by qRT-PCR; bioinform…

Study snapshot

PublicationElectromagnetic biology and medicine · 2023
Study typein_vitro
Reported directionMixed
Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Quantitative proteomics reveals effects of environmental radiofrequency electromagnetic fields on embryonic neural stem cells An G, Jing Y, Zhao T, Zhang W, Guo L, Guo J, Miao X, Xing J, Li J, Liu J, Ding G. Quantitative proteomics reveals effects of environmental radiofrequency electromagnetic fields on embryonic neural stem cells. Electromagn Biol Med. 2023 Aug 7:1-10. doi: 10.1080/15368378.2023.2243980. Abstract The effects of environmental radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) on embryonic neural stem cells have not been determined, particularly at the proteomic level. This study aims to elucidate the effects of environmental levels of RF-EMF radiation on embryonic neural stem cells. Neuroectodermal stem cells (NE-4C cells) were randomly divided into a sham group and an RF group, which were sham-exposed and continuously exposed to a 1950 MHz RF-EMF at 2 W/kg for 48 h. After exposure, cell proliferation was determined by a Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK8) assay, the cell cycle distribution and apoptosis were measured by flow cytometry, protein abundance was detected by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), and mRNA expression was evaluated by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). We did not detect differences in cell proliferation, cell cycle distribution, and apoptosis between the two groups. However, we detected differences in the abundance of 23 proteins between the two groups, and some of these differences were consistent with alterations in transcript levels determined by qRT-PCR (P < 0.05). A bioinformatics analysis indicated that the differentially regulated proteins were mainly enriched in 'localization' in the cellular process category; however, no significant pathway alterations in NE-4C cells were detected. We conclude that under the experimental conditions, low-level RF-EMF exposure was not neurotoxic but could induce minor changes in the abundance of some proteins involved in neurodevelopment or brain function. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Machine Enhanced Logic

AI evidence extraction

Structured fields below were generated from the paper’s abstract and metadata to make the evidence easier to inspect. Automated extraction may be incomplete or incorrect; verify important details against the original paper.

Study typein_vitro
Effect directionmixed
PopulationEmbryonic neural stem cells (NE-4C neuroectodermal stem cells)
Sample sizeNot supplied
ExposureRF · 1950 MHz · 2 W/kg · 48 h (continuous)
Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

No differences were detected between sham and RF-exposed groups in cell proliferation, cell cycle distribution, or apoptosis. Differences in abundance of 23 proteins were detected (P < 0.05), with some consistent transcript-level changes by qRT-PCR; bioinformatics suggested enrichment in 'localization' processes and no significant pathway alterations.

Outcomes measured

  • Cell proliferation (CCK8 assay)
  • Cell cycle distribution (flow cytometry)
  • Apoptosis (flow cytometry)
  • Protein abundance / differential proteomics (LC-MS/MS)
  • mRNA expression (qRT-PCR)
  • Bioinformatics enrichment/pathway analysis of differentially regulated proteins

Limitations

  • Sample size not reported in abstract
  • Single cell line model (NE-4C)
  • Single exposure condition (1950 MHz, 2 W/kg, 48 h)
View raw extracted JSON
{
  "study_type": "in_vitro",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF",
    "source": null,
    "frequency_mhz": 1950,
    "sar_wkg": 2,
    "duration": "48 h (continuous)"
  },
  "population": "Embryonic neural stem cells (NE-4C neuroectodermal stem cells)",
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "Cell proliferation (CCK8 assay)",
    "Cell cycle distribution (flow cytometry)",
    "Apoptosis (flow cytometry)",
    "Protein abundance / differential proteomics (LC-MS/MS)",
    "mRNA expression (qRT-PCR)",
    "Bioinformatics enrichment/pathway analysis of differentially regulated proteins"
  ],
  "main_findings": "No differences were detected between sham and RF-exposed groups in cell proliferation, cell cycle distribution, or apoptosis. Differences in abundance of 23 proteins were detected (P < 0.05), with some consistent transcript-level changes by qRT-PCR; bioinformatics suggested enrichment in 'localization' processes and no significant pathway alterations.",
  "effect_direction": "mixed",
  "limitations": [
    "Sample size not reported in abstract",
    "Single cell line model (NE-4C)",
    "Single exposure condition (1950 MHz, 2 W/kg, 48 h)"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "RF-EMF",
    "radiofrequency electromagnetic fields",
    "1950 MHz",
    "SAR 2 W/kg",
    "embryonic neural stem cells",
    "NE-4C",
    "proteomics",
    "LC-MS/MS",
    "qRT-PCR",
    "apoptosis",
    "cell cycle",
    "cell proliferation"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": []
}
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AI-extracted fields are generated from the abstract and metadata and may be incomplete or incorrect. This material is for informational purposes and is not medical advice.

Identifiers and source

DOI: 10.1080/15368378.2023.2243980
PubMed: 37549098

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