Exposure to 18 GHz EMF triggers uptake of large nanosphere clusters by pheochromocytoma cells

2018 · Mixed · Low evidence

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MixedLow evidencePaper 1948

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2018

Study typein_vitro

Reported directionMixed

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Exposure to 18 GHz EMF triggers uptake of large nanosphere clusters by pheochromocytoma cells Perera PGT, Nguyen THP, Dekiwadia C, Wandiyanto JV, Sbarski I, Bazaka O, Bazaka K, Crawford RJ, Croft RJ, Ivanova EP. Exposure to high-frequency electromagnetic field triggers rapid uptake of large nanosphere clusters by pheochromocytoma cells. Intl J Nanomedicine. 2018(13):8429-8442. 10 December 2018. DOI: doi.org Abstract Background: Effects of man-made electromagnetic fields (EMF) on living organisms potentially include transient and permanent changes in cell behaviour, physiology and morphology. At present, these EMF-induced effects are poorly defined, yet their understanding may provide important insights into consequences of uncontrolled (e.g., environmental) as well as intentional (e.g., therapeutic or diagnostic) exposure of biota to EMFs. In this work, for the first time, we study mechanisms by which a high frequency (18 GHz) EMF radiation affects the physiology of membrane transport in pheochromocytoma PC 12, a convenient model system for neurotoxicological and membrane transport studies. Methods and results: Suspensions of the PC 12 cells were subjected to three consecutive cycles of 30s EMF treatment with a specific absorption rate (SAR) of 1.17 kW kg-1, with cells cooled between exposures to reduce bulk dielectric heating. The EMF exposure resulted in a transient increase in membrane permeability for 9 min in up to 90 % of the treated cells, as demonstrated by rapid internalisation of silica nanospheres (diameter d ≈ 23.5 nm) and their clusters (d ≈ 63 nm). In contrast, the PC 12 cells that received an equivalent bulk heat treatment behaved similar to the untreated controls, showing lack to minimal nanosphere uptake of approximately 1-2 %. Morphology and growth of the EMF treated cells were not altered, indicating that the PC 12 cells were able to remain viable after the EMF exposure. The metabolic activity of EMF treated PC 12 cells was similar to that of the heat treated and control samples, with no difference in the total protein concentration and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release between these groups. Conclusion: These results provide new insights into the mechanisms of EMF-induced biological activity in mammalian cells, suggesting a possible use of EMFs to facilitate efficient transport of biomolecules, dyes and tracers, and genetic material across cell membrane in drug delivery and gene therapy, where permanent permeabilisation or cell death is undesirable. Open access paper: dovepress.com rapid-uptake-peer-reviewed-article-IJN

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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 typein_vitro

Effect directionmixed

PopulationPheochromocytoma PC 12 cells (cell suspensions)

Sample sizeNot supplied

Exposuremicrowave · 18000 MHz · 1170 W/kg · Three consecutive cycles of 30 s EMF treatment (cells cooled between exposures); transient effect reported for 9 min

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

18 GHz EMF exposure (SAR 1.17 kW/kg) produced a transient (~9 min) increase in membrane permeability in up to 90% of treated PC12 cells, evidenced by rapid internalisation of silica nanospheres and their clusters. Equivalent bulk heat treatment behaved similarly to untreated controls with minimal nanosphere uptake (~1–2%), and EMF-treated cells showed no reported changes in morphology, growth, metabolic activity, total protein, or LDH release versus heat-treated/control.

Outcomes measured

Membrane permeability (transient increase)
Internalisation/uptake of silica nanospheres (~23.5 nm) and clusters (~63 nm)
Cell morphology
Cell growth/viability
Metabolic activity
Total protein concentration
Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release

Limitations

In vitro cell model (PC12)
Exposure described as high SAR with cooling to reduce bulk dielectric heating; residual thermal effects not fully excluded in abstract
Sample size not reported in abstract

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "in_vitro",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "microwave",
    "source": null,
    "frequency_mhz": 18000,
    "sar_wkg": 1170,
    "duration": "Three consecutive cycles of 30 s EMF treatment (cells cooled between exposures); transient effect reported for 9 min"
  },
  "population": "Pheochromocytoma PC 12 cells (cell suspensions)",
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "Membrane permeability (transient increase)",
    "Internalisation/uptake of silica nanospheres (~23.5 nm) and clusters (~63 nm)",
    "Cell morphology",
    "Cell growth/viability",
    "Metabolic activity",
    "Total protein concentration",
    "Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release"
  ],
  "main_findings": "18 GHz EMF exposure (SAR 1.17 kW/kg) produced a transient (~9 min) increase in membrane permeability in up to 90% of treated PC12 cells, evidenced by rapid internalisation of silica nanospheres and their clusters. Equivalent bulk heat treatment behaved similarly to untreated controls with minimal nanosphere uptake (~1–2%), and EMF-treated cells showed no reported changes in morphology, growth, metabolic activity, total protein, or LDH release versus heat-treated/control.",
  "effect_direction": "mixed",
  "limitations": [
    "In vitro cell model (PC12)",
    "Exposure described as high SAR with cooling to reduce bulk dielectric heating; residual thermal effects not fully excluded in abstract",
    "Sample size not reported in abstract"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "18 GHz",
    "high-frequency electromagnetic field",
    "microwave",
    "SAR",
    "PC12",
    "pheochromocytoma cells",
    "membrane permeability",
    "nanosphere uptake",
    "silica nanospheres",
    "LDH"
  ],
  "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: 10.2147/ijn.s183767
PubMed: Not supplied

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