Effect of 50-Hz Magnetic Fields on Serum IL-1β and IL-23 and Expression of BLIMP-1, XBP-1, and IRF-4

2019 · Mixed · Low evidence

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MixedLow evidencePaper 1758

Rats were exposed to 50-Hz magnetic fields (1, 100, 500, 2000 μT; 2 h/day for 2 months). Serum IL-1β decreased at the pre-immunization phase after exposure to 1 and 100 μT, while serum IL-23 increased at the post-immunization phase in the 100 μT group; exposu…

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2019

Study typeanimal

Reported directionMixed

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Effect of 50-Hz Magnetic Fields on Serum IL-1β and IL-23 and Expression of BLIMP-1, XBP-1, and IRF-4 Molaei S, Alahgholi-Hajibehzad M, Gholamian-Hamadan M, Zaerieghane Z, Zamani A. Effect of 50-Hz Magnetic Fields on Serum IL-1β and IL-23 and Expression of BLIMP-1, XBP-1, and IRF-4. Inflammation. 2019 Jul 8. doi: 10.1007/s10753-019-01042-w. Abstract Investigations demonstrated that magnetic fields (MFs) change cytokine production and expression of some immune system genes. This alteration can affect the immune system function and may lead to some diseases. Therefore, this study investigated two important inflammatory cytokines, i.e., IL-1β and IL-23 at two phases of pre- and post-immunization of the immune system. In addition, the expressions of three important genes in the humoral immunity, i.e., B lymphocyte-induced maturation protein-1 (BLIMP-1), X-box-binding protein-1 (XBP-1), and interferon regulatory factor-4 (IRF-4) were evaluated at post-immunization phase. Eighty adult male rats were divided into four experimental groups and a control. The experimental groups were exposed to 50-Hz MFs with magnetic flux densities of 1, 100, 500, and 2000 μT, 2 h/day for 2 months. The animals were injected by human serum albumin (100 μg/rat) on days 31, 44, and 58 of exposure. The cytokine levels in serum were measured with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and the expression of genes was evaluated with reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Serum IL-1β was decreased at pre- immunization phase after exposure to 1 and 100 μT of 50-Hz MFs. In contrast, serum IL-23 was increased at post-immunization phase in 100 μT group. No change was observed in serum IL-1β and IL-23 in each group at pre-immunization phase compared with post-immunization. Furthermore, exposure to 100 μT downregulated expression of BLIMP-1, XBP-1, and IRF-4. In conclusion, exposure to 50-Hz MFs may decrease inflammation at short time and increase it at longer time exposures. In addition, 50-Hz MF exposure may decrease the humoral immune responses. It seems that 50-Hz MFs cause more alteration in immune system function at lower densities (100 μT). 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 typeanimal

Effect directionmixed

PopulationAdult male rats (immunized with human serum albumin during exposure)

Sample size80

ExposureELF · 2 h/day for 2 months

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Outcomes measured

Serum IL-1β (pre- and post-immunization)
Serum IL-23 (pre- and post-immunization)
Gene expression (post-immunization): BLIMP-1
Gene expression (post-immunization): XBP-1
Gene expression (post-immunization): IRF-4

Limitations

No journal field provided in metadata (though abstract cites Inflammation).
No quantitative effect sizes or variability measures reported in the abstract.
Only adult male rats studied; generalizability to other sexes/species not addressed in abstract.
Gene expression outcomes reported only for post-immunization phase in abstract.

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "animal",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "ELF",
    "source": null,
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "2 h/day for 2 months"
  },
  "population": "Adult male rats (immunized with human serum albumin during exposure)",
  "sample_size": 80,
  "outcomes": [
    "Serum IL-1β (pre- and post-immunization)",
    "Serum IL-23 (pre- and post-immunization)",
    "Gene expression (post-immunization): BLIMP-1",
    "Gene expression (post-immunization): XBP-1",
    "Gene expression (post-immunization): IRF-4"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Rats were exposed to 50-Hz magnetic fields (1, 100, 500, 2000 μT; 2 h/day for 2 months). Serum IL-1β decreased at the pre-immunization phase after exposure to 1 and 100 μT, while serum IL-23 increased at the post-immunization phase in the 100 μT group; exposure to 100 μT downregulated BLIMP-1, XBP-1, and IRF-4 expression post-immunization.",
  "effect_direction": "mixed",
  "limitations": [
    "No journal field provided in metadata (though abstract cites Inflammation).",
    "No quantitative effect sizes or variability measures reported in the abstract.",
    "Only adult male rats studied; generalizability to other sexes/species not addressed in abstract.",
    "Gene expression outcomes reported only for post-immunization phase in abstract."
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "50-Hz",
    "ELF magnetic field",
    "rats",
    "immunization",
    "IL-1β",
    "IL-23",
    "BLIMP-1",
    "XBP-1",
    "IRF-4",
    "ELISA",
    "RT-qPCR",
    "humoral immunity",
    "inflammation"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "occupational-exposure",
      "weight": 0.35,
      "reason": "Exposure levels reported in μT at 50 Hz (ELF), relevant to power-frequency magnetic-field exposure contexts."
    }
  ]
}

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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: 10.1007/s10753-019-01042-w
PubMed: Not supplied

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