The role of 217-Hz ELF magnetic fields emitted from GSM mobile phones on electrochemotherapy mechanisms

2020 · Mixed · Low evidence

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MixedLow evidencePaper 1536

In vitro, exposure to 217-Hz ELF magnetic fields at 93 µT was associated with significantly decreased electrochemotherapy efficacy under the reported ECT parameters (60 V/cm, 5 kHz). In vivo, pre-exposure to ELF magnetic fields increased tumor hypoxia induced…

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2020

Study typeanimal

Reported directionMixed

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

The role of 217-Hz ELF magnetic fields emitted from GSM mobile phones on electrochemotherapy mechanisms Mansourian M, Firoozabadi M, Hassan ZM. The role of 217-Hz ELF magnetic fields emitted from GSM mobile phones on electrochemotherapy mechanisms. Electromagn Biol Med. 2020 May 15:1-11. doi: 10.1080/15368378.2020.1762635. Abstract Electrochemotherapy (ECT), the combination of electric pulses (EPs) and an anticancer drug, is a type of cancer treatment method. We investigated the effect of 217-Hz magnetic fields (MFs) similar to that generated by GSM900 mobile phones, as intervening factors, on proposed mechanisms of ECT including permeability, tumor hypoxia and immune system response. The 4T1 cells were exposed to extremely low-frequency (ELF)-MFs at 93, 120 or 159 µT intensities, generated by Helmholtz coils 10 min, and then put in individual groups, comprising no treatment, chemotherapy, EPs or ECT. The cell viability was evaluated. Then, two treatment protocols were selected for in vivo experiments. The mice with 4T1 tumor cells were exposed to ELF-MFs 10 min/day until the day their tumors reached 8 mm in diameter. Then, the tumors were treated to ECT. Tumor hypoxia and immune system response were analyzed through immunohistochemistry assay and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique, respectively. The results in vitro indicated a significant decreased ECT efficacy of 60 V/cm, 5 kHz at the flux density of 93 µT. The results in vivo showed that pre-exposure to ELF-MFs could increase tumor hypoxia induced by ECT. In addition, exposure to ELF-MFs before ECT caused a significant increase in interferon- γ/interleukin-4 in comparison with ECT alone. More studies, including studies on the effect of ELF-MFs emitted from mobile phones on tumor volume changes induced by ECT, are needed to elucidate how the process of ECT is influenced by the MFs. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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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 typeanimal

Effect directionmixed

Population4T1 cells (in vitro) and mice with 4T1 tumors (in vivo)

Sample sizeNot supplied

ExposureELF · in vitro: 10 min; in vivo: 10 min/day until tumors reached 8 mm diameter (pre-exposure before ECT)

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 74% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Outcomes measured

Cell viability / ECT efficacy (in vitro)
Tumor hypoxia (in vivo; immunohistochemistry)
Immune response markers (in vivo; IFN-γ/IL-4 via ELISA)

Limitations

Sample size not reported in the provided abstract/metadata
Exposure described as similar to GSM900 phones but generated by Helmholtz coils; real-world phone exposure conditions not detailed
In vivo outcomes reported for hypoxia and immune markers; tumor volume change effects are not reported in the abstract

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "animal",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "ELF",
    "source": "mobile phone",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "in vitro: 10 min; in vivo: 10 min/day until tumors reached 8 mm diameter (pre-exposure before ECT)"
  },
  "population": "4T1 cells (in vitro) and mice with 4T1 tumors (in vivo)",
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "Cell viability / ECT efficacy (in vitro)",
    "Tumor hypoxia (in vivo; immunohistochemistry)",
    "Immune response markers (in vivo; IFN-γ/IL-4 via ELISA)"
  ],
  "main_findings": "In vitro, exposure to 217-Hz ELF magnetic fields at 93 µT was associated with significantly decreased electrochemotherapy efficacy under the reported ECT parameters (60 V/cm, 5 kHz). In vivo, pre-exposure to ELF magnetic fields increased tumor hypoxia induced by ECT and increased IFN-γ/IL-4 compared with ECT alone.",
  "effect_direction": "mixed",
  "limitations": [
    "Sample size not reported in the provided abstract/metadata",
    "Exposure described as similar to GSM900 phones but generated by Helmholtz coils; real-world phone exposure conditions not detailed",
    "In vivo outcomes reported for hypoxia and immune markers; tumor volume change effects are not reported in the abstract"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.74,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "217-Hz",
    "ELF magnetic field",
    "GSM900",
    "mobile phone",
    "electrochemotherapy",
    "4T1",
    "tumor hypoxia",
    "interferon-gamma",
    "interleukin-4",
    "Helmholtz coils"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "mobile-phones",
      "weight": 0.78,
      "reason": "ELF magnetic fields described as similar to those generated by GSM900 mobile phones."
    },
    {
      "slug": "cancer-therapy",
      "weight": 0.72,
      "reason": "Study examines effects of ELF magnetic fields on electrochemotherapy mechanisms and outcomes."
    }
  ]
}

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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: 10.1080/15368378.2020.1762635
PubMed: Not supplied

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