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Microwave-induced Apoptosis and Cytotoxicity of NK Cells through ERK1/2 Signaling

2017 · Harm · Low evidence

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HarmLow evidencePaper 2233

NK-92 cells exposed to 10, 30, or 50 mW/cm2 microwaves for 5 min showed morphological/ultrastructural injury, dose-dependent apoptosis and cell cycle arrest at 1 h post-exposure; apoptosis persisted at 24 h after 50 mW/cm2 exposure. In the 30 mW/cm2 model, cy…

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2017
Study typein_vitro
Reported directionHarm
Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Microwave-induced Apoptosis and Cytotoxicity of NK Cells through ERK1/2 Signaling Zhao L, Li J, Hao YH, Gao YB, Wang SM, Zhang J, Dong J, Zhou HM, Liu SC, Peng RY. Microwave-induced Apoptosis and Cytotoxicity of NK Cells through ERK1/2 Signaling. Biomed Environ Sci. 2017 May;30(5):323-332. doi: 10.3967/bes2017.043. Abstract OBJECTIVE: To investigate microwave-induced morphological and functional injury of natural killer (NK) cells and uncover their mechanisms. METHODS: NK-92 cells were exposed to 10, 30, and 50 mW/cm2 microwaves for 5 min. Ultrastructural changes, cellular apoptosis and cell cycle regulation were detected at 1 h and 24 h after exposure. Cytotoxic activity was assayed at 1 h after exposure, while perforin and NKG2D expression were detected at 1 h, 6 h, and 12 h after exposure. To clarify the mechanisms, phosphorylated ERK (p-ERK) was detected at 1 h after exposure. Moreover, microwave-induced cellular apoptosis and cell cycle regulation were analyzed after blockade of ERK signaling by using U0126. RESULTS: Microwave-induced morphological and ultrastructural injury, dose-dependent apoptosis (P < 0.001) and cell cycle arrest (P < 0.001) were detected at 1 h after microwave exposure. Moreover, significant apoptosis was still detected at 24 h after 50 mW/cm2 microwave exposure (P < 0.01). In the 30 mW/cm2 microwave exposure model, microwaves impaired the cytotoxic activity of NK-92 cells at 1 h and down regulated perforin protein both at 1 h and 6 h after exposure (P < 0.05). Furthermore, p-ERK was down regulated at 1 h after exposure (P < 0.05), while ERK blockade significantly promoted microwave-induced apoptosis (P < 0.05) and downregulation of perforin (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Microwave dose-dependently induced morphological and functional injury in NK-92 cells, possibly through ERK-mediated regulation of apoptosis and perforin expression. 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 typein_vitro
Effect directionharm
PopulationNK-92 cells (natural killer cell line)
Sample sizeNot supplied
Exposuremicrowave · 5 min
Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

NK-92 cells exposed to 10, 30, or 50 mW/cm2 microwaves for 5 min showed morphological/ultrastructural injury, dose-dependent apoptosis and cell cycle arrest at 1 h post-exposure; apoptosis persisted at 24 h after 50 mW/cm2 exposure. In the 30 mW/cm2 model, cytotoxic activity was impaired at 1 h and perforin protein was downregulated at 1 h and 6 h; p-ERK was downregulated at 1 h, and ERK blockade (U0126) promoted microwave-induced apoptosis and perforin downregulation.

Outcomes measured

  • Ultrastructural/morphological injury
  • Apoptosis
  • Cell cycle arrest/regulation
  • Cytotoxic activity
  • Perforin protein expression
  • NKG2D expression
  • Phosphorylated ERK (p-ERK) levels
  • Effects of ERK blockade (U0126) on apoptosis and perforin downregulation

Limitations

  • In vitro cell-line model (NK-92); generalizability to humans not addressed in abstract
  • Microwave frequency not reported in abstract
  • SAR not reported; exposure characterized by power density (mW/cm2) only
  • Sample size and replication details not provided in abstract
View raw extracted JSON
{
  "study_type": "in_vitro",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "microwave",
    "source": null,
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "5 min"
  },
  "population": "NK-92 cells (natural killer cell line)",
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "Ultrastructural/morphological injury",
    "Apoptosis",
    "Cell cycle arrest/regulation",
    "Cytotoxic activity",
    "Perforin protein expression",
    "NKG2D expression",
    "Phosphorylated ERK (p-ERK) levels",
    "Effects of ERK blockade (U0126) on apoptosis and perforin downregulation"
  ],
  "main_findings": "NK-92 cells exposed to 10, 30, or 50 mW/cm2 microwaves for 5 min showed morphological/ultrastructural injury, dose-dependent apoptosis and cell cycle arrest at 1 h post-exposure; apoptosis persisted at 24 h after 50 mW/cm2 exposure. In the 30 mW/cm2 model, cytotoxic activity was impaired at 1 h and perforin protein was downregulated at 1 h and 6 h; p-ERK was downregulated at 1 h, and ERK blockade (U0126) promoted microwave-induced apoptosis and perforin downregulation.",
  "effect_direction": "harm",
  "limitations": [
    "In vitro cell-line model (NK-92); generalizability to humans not addressed in abstract",
    "Microwave frequency not reported in abstract",
    "SAR not reported; exposure characterized by power density (mW/cm2) only",
    "Sample size and replication details not provided in abstract"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "microwave",
    "NK-92",
    "natural killer cells",
    "apoptosis",
    "cytotoxicity",
    "perforin",
    "NKG2D",
    "ERK1/2",
    "p-ERK",
    "U0126",
    "cell cycle arrest"
  ],
  "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: 10.3967/bes2017.043
PubMed: Not supplied

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