ELF EMF decreases serum levels of Interleukin-17, transforming growth factor-β and downregulates Foxp3 in

2018 · Mixed · Low evidence

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MixedLow evidencePaper 1995

In male rats exposed to 50 Hz ELF-EMF at 1, 100, 500, or 2,000 μT, thymus weight significantly declined at 2,000 μT. At the preimmunization phase, serum IL-17 and TGF-β were significantly decreased at 1 and 100 μT, and Foxp3 expression was downregulated at 1 …

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2018

Study typeanimal

Reported directionMixed

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

ELF EMF decreases serum levels of Interleukin-17, transforming growth factor-β and downregulates Foxp3 in the Spleen Mahdavinejad L, Alahgholi-Hajibehzad M, Eftekharian MM, Zaerieghane Z, Salehi I, Hajilooi M, Mahaki H, Zamani A. Extremely Low Frequency Electromagnetic Fields Decrease Serum Levels of Interleukin-17, Transforming Growth Factor-β and Downregulate Foxp3 Expression in the Spleen. J Interferon Cytokine Res. 2018 Oct;38(10):457-462. doi: 10.1089/jir.2018.0048. Abstract The study aimed to determine effect of extremely low frequency (50 Hz) electromagnetic fields (ELF-EMFs) exposure on serum levels of interleukin-17 (IL-17) and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) as signature cytokines of Th17 and regulatory T (Treg) cells, respectively. Retinoid-related orphan receptor γT and transcription factor forkhead box P3 (Foxp3) expression levels as lineage defining of Th17 and Treg cells were also assessed in the spleen and thymus. Eighty male rats were separated into 4 exposed groups (1, 100, 500, and 2,000 μT magnetic flux intensities) and a control. All rats were immunized by human serum albumin after 1 month of the exposure and the experiment was continued in the same manner for 1 month more. The results demonstrated that the weight of thymuses was significantly declined at intensity of 2,000 μT. At the preimmunization phase, the serum levels of IL-17 and TGF-β were significantly decreased at intensities of 1 and 100 μT. The expression of Foxp3 was also downregulated at intensities of 1 and 100 μT. In conclusion, low intensities of ELF-EMF may reduce the serum levels of IL-17 and TGF-β and downregulate the expression of Foxp3 in spleen. 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

PopulationMale rats (immunized with human serum albumin)

Sample size80

ExposureELF · 5e-05 MHz · 1 month exposure before immunization + 1 additional month continued exposure (total 2 months)

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 74% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Outcomes measured

Serum interleukin-17 (IL-17) levels
Serum transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) levels
Foxp3 expression in spleen
Retinoid-related orphan receptor γT expression in spleen and thymus
Thymus weight

Limitations

No details provided in abstract on randomization/blinding or allocation concealment
Exposure setup details (e.g., field uniformity, daily exposure duration) not described in abstract
Results for 500 μT group and for RORγT and thymus/thymic expression outcomes not fully reported in abstract
Timing and results beyond the preimmunization phase not fully reported in abstract

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "animal",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "ELF",
    "source": null,
    "frequency_mhz": 5e-05,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "1 month exposure before immunization + 1 additional month continued exposure (total 2 months)"
  },
  "population": "Male rats (immunized with human serum albumin)",
  "sample_size": 80,
  "outcomes": [
    "Serum interleukin-17 (IL-17) levels",
    "Serum transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) levels",
    "Foxp3 expression in spleen",
    "Retinoid-related orphan receptor γT expression in spleen and thymus",
    "Thymus weight"
  ],
  "main_findings": "In male rats exposed to 50 Hz ELF-EMF at 1, 100, 500, or 2,000 μT, thymus weight significantly declined at 2,000 μT. At the preimmunization phase, serum IL-17 and TGF-β were significantly decreased at 1 and 100 μT, and Foxp3 expression was downregulated at 1 and 100 μT; the conclusion states low intensities may reduce IL-17 and TGF-β and downregulate Foxp3 in spleen.",
  "effect_direction": "mixed",
  "limitations": [
    "No details provided in abstract on randomization/blinding or allocation concealment",
    "Exposure setup details (e.g., field uniformity, daily exposure duration) not described in abstract",
    "Results for 500 μT group and for RORγT and thymus/thymic expression outcomes not fully reported in abstract",
    "Timing and results beyond the preimmunization phase not fully reported in abstract"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.74,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "extremely low frequency",
    "ELF-EMF",
    "50 Hz",
    "magnetic flux density",
    "microtesla",
    "IL-17",
    "TGF-β",
    "Foxp3",
    "Th17",
    "Treg",
    "spleen",
    "thymus",
    "rat"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "occupational-exposure",
      "weight": 0.25,
      "reason": "ELF 50 Hz magnetic-field exposure at μT–mT levels is relevant to occupational/environmental ELF contexts, though no specific workplace setting is described."
    }
  ]
}

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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: 10.1089/jir.2018.0048
PubMed: Not supplied

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