Thapsigargin blocks electromagnetic field-elicited intracellular Ca 2+ increase in HEK 293 cells

2022 · Harm · Low evidence

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HarmLow evidencePaper 817

HEK 293 cells exposed to radio-frequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMFs) and static magnetic fields (SMFs) showed a constant and significant increase in intracellular [Ca2+]. Administration of 10 μM thapsigargin nulled the EMF-associated [Ca2+] increase, sug…

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2022

Study typein_vitro

Reported directionHarm

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Thapsigargin blocks electromagnetic field-elicited intracellular Ca 2+ increase in HEK 293 cells Federico Bertagna, Rebecca Lewis, S Ravi P Silva, Johnjoe McFadden, Kamalan Jeevaratnam. Thapsigargin blocks electromagnetic field-elicited intracellular Ca 2+ increase in HEK 293 cells. Physiol Rep. 2022 May;10(9):e15189. doi: 10.14814/phy2.15189. Abstract Biological effects of electromagnetic fields (EMFs) have previously been identified for cellular proliferation and changes in expression and conduction of diverse types of ion channels. The major effect elicited by EMFs seems to be directed toward Ca2+ homeostasis. This is particularly remarkable since Ca2+ acts as a central modulator in various signaling pathways, including, but not limited to, cell differentiation and survival. Despite this, the mechanisms underlying this modulation have yet to be unraveled. Here, we assessed the effect of EMFs on intracellular [Ca2+ ], by exposing HEK 293 cells to both radio-frequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMFs) and static magnetic fields (SMFs). We detected a constant and significant increase in [Ca2+ ] subsequent to exposure to both types of fields. Strikingly, the increase was nulled by administration of 10 μM Thapsigargin, a blocker of sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ -ATPases (SERCAs), indicating the involvement of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) in EMF-related modulation of Ca2+ homeostasis. Open access paper: physoc.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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 directionharm

PopulationHEK 293 cells

Sample sizeNot supplied

ExposureRF

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Outcomes measured

Intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+])
Effect of thapsigargin (SERCA blockade) on EMF-elicited Ca2+ changes

Limitations

No RF exposure parameters reported in the abstract (e.g., frequency, SAR, duration).
No static magnetic field parameters reported in the abstract (e.g., field strength, duration).
Sample size and replication details not provided in the abstract.
Findings are from an in vitro cell line model (HEK 293), limiting direct generalization to humans.

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "in_vitro",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF",
    "source": null,
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": null
  },
  "population": "HEK 293 cells",
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "Intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+])",
    "Effect of thapsigargin (SERCA blockade) on EMF-elicited Ca2+ changes"
  ],
  "main_findings": "HEK 293 cells exposed to radio-frequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMFs) and static magnetic fields (SMFs) showed a constant and significant increase in intracellular [Ca2+]. Administration of 10 μM thapsigargin nulled the EMF-associated [Ca2+] increase, suggesting involvement of endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ handling.",
  "effect_direction": "harm",
  "limitations": [
    "No RF exposure parameters reported in the abstract (e.g., frequency, SAR, duration).",
    "No static magnetic field parameters reported in the abstract (e.g., field strength, duration).",
    "Sample size and replication details not provided in the abstract.",
    "Findings are from an in vitro cell line model (HEK 293), limiting direct generalization to humans."
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "electromagnetic fields",
    "radio-frequency electromagnetic fields",
    "static magnetic fields",
    "HEK 293",
    "calcium homeostasis",
    "intracellular calcium",
    "thapsigargin",
    "SERCA",
    "endoplasmic reticulum"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "mechanisms-calcium-signaling",
      "weight": 0.9,
      "reason": "Study focuses on EMF-elicited intracellular Ca2+ increases and ER/SERCA involvement."
    },
    {
      "slug": "rf-emf-in-vitro",
      "weight": 0.75,
      "reason": "In vitro exposure to RF-EMFs in HEK 293 cells."
    }
  ]
}

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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: 10.14814/phy2.15189
PubMed: Not supplied

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