ELF EMF exposure enhances inflammatory response and inhibits effect of antioxidant in RAW 264.7 cells

2017 · Harm · Low evidence

← Research stream

HarmLow evidencePaper 2303

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2017

Study typein_vitro

Reported directionHarm

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

ELF EMF exposure enhances inflammatory response and inhibits effect of antioxidant in RAW 264.7 cells Kim SJ, Jang YW, Hyung KE, Lee DK, Hyun KH, Jeong SH, Min KH, Kang W, Jeong JH, Park SY, Hwang KW. Extremely low-frequency electromagnetic field exposure enhances inflammatory response and inhibits effect of antioxidant in RAW 264.7 cells. Bioelectromagnetics. 2017 Mar 29. doi: 10.1002/bem.22049. Abstract In recent years there has been a dramatic increase in the number and variety of electronic devices that emit electromagnetic waves. Because people live and work in close proximity to these pieces of electrical equipment, there is growing concern surrounding the destruction of homeostasis by electromagnetic field exposure. In the present study, the effects of 60 Hz 0.8 mT extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields (ELF-EMF) on a macrophage cell line (RAW 264.7) were examined. Under defined ELF-EMF exposure conditions, the production of nitric oxide and pro-inflammatory cytokines, TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6, were increased in RAW 264.7 cells and the expression of those genes was also upregulated. However, cell proliferation was not altered. Translocation of NF-κB (nuclear factor kappa B), molecules that act downstream of the pro-inflammatory cytokines, were increased to the nucleus under ELF-EMF exposure conditions. In addition, we found that ELF-EMF exposure elevated activation of nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) 2, as well as positively affected the influx of calcium. Furthermore, with both the presence of a potent antioxidant (Resveratrol) and downregulation of the antioxidant-related gene Prx-1 (Peroxiredoxin-1), ELF-EMF was associated with higher inflammatory responses of macrophages. These results suggest that an ELF-EMF amplifies inflammatory responses through enhanced macrophage activation and can decrease the effectiveness of antioxidants. 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 typein_vitro

Effect directionharm

PopulationRAW 264.7 macrophage cell line

Sample sizeNot supplied

ExposureELF · 6e-05 MHz

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Under 60 Hz 0.8 mT ELF-EMF exposure, RAW 264.7 cells showed increased nitric oxide and pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6) with upregulated expression of related genes, while cell proliferation was not altered. ELF-EMF exposure increased NF-κB nuclear translocation, elevated NFAT2 activation, and positively affected calcium influx; ELF-EMF was also associated with higher inflammatory responses in the presence of resveratrol and with Prx-1 downregulation.

Outcomes measured

Nitric oxide production
Pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6) production
Gene expression of inflammatory markers
Cell proliferation
NF-κB nuclear translocation
NFAT2 activation
Calcium influx
Inflammatory response in presence of resveratrol
Inflammatory response with Prx-1 downregulation

Limitations

Exposure duration not reported in the abstract
Sample size and replication details not reported in the abstract
In vitro macrophage cell line model; generalizability to humans not addressed in the abstract

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "in_vitro",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "ELF",
    "source": null,
    "frequency_mhz": 6e-05,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": null
  },
  "population": "RAW 264.7 macrophage cell line",
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "Nitric oxide production",
    "Pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6) production",
    "Gene expression of inflammatory markers",
    "Cell proliferation",
    "NF-κB nuclear translocation",
    "NFAT2 activation",
    "Calcium influx",
    "Inflammatory response in presence of resveratrol",
    "Inflammatory response with Prx-1 downregulation"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Under 60 Hz 0.8 mT ELF-EMF exposure, RAW 264.7 cells showed increased nitric oxide and pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6) with upregulated expression of related genes, while cell proliferation was not altered. ELF-EMF exposure increased NF-κB nuclear translocation, elevated NFAT2 activation, and positively affected calcium influx; ELF-EMF was also associated with higher inflammatory responses in the presence of resveratrol and with Prx-1 downregulation.",
  "effect_direction": "harm",
  "limitations": [
    "Exposure duration not reported in the abstract",
    "Sample size and replication details not reported in the abstract",
    "In vitro macrophage cell line model; generalizability to humans not addressed in the abstract"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields",
    "ELF-EMF",
    "60 Hz",
    "0.8 mT",
    "RAW 264.7",
    "macrophage",
    "inflammation",
    "nitric oxide",
    "TNF-α",
    "IL-1β",
    "IL-6",
    "NF-κB",
    "NFAT2",
    "calcium influx",
    "resveratrol",
    "Peroxiredoxin-1",
    "Prx-1"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "occupational-exposure",
      "weight": 0.25,
      "reason": "Study concerns extremely low-frequency fields (60 Hz) relevant to electrical equipment exposure contexts, though conducted in vitro."
    }
  ]
}

AI can be wrong. Always verify against the paper.

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: 10.1002/bem.22049
PubMed: Not supplied

Read the original paper →

Related papers

← Back to the Research Library