Effects of long-term 50Hz power-line frequency electromagnetic field on cell behavior in Balb/c 3T3 cells.

PloS one · 2015 · Mixed · Low evidence

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MixedLow evidencePaper 4795

Balb/c 3T3 cells exposed to 50 Hz PF-EMF at 2.3 mT for 11 weeks showed no changes in morphology, apoptosis, migration ability, or transformation assays compared with sham. Cell viability decreased, cell cycle distribution changed, and PCNA and CyclinD1 protei…

Study snapshot

PublicationPloS one · 2015

Study typein_vitro

Reported directionMixed

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Power-line frequency electromagnetic field (PF-EMF) was reported as a human carcinogen by some epidemiological research, but the conclusion is lack of robust experiment evidence. To identify the effects of long-term PF-EMF exposure on cell behavior, Balb/c 3T3 cells in exponential growth phase were exposed or sham-exposed to 50 Hertz (Hz) PF-EMF at 2.3 mT for 2 hours (h) one day, 5 days every week. After 11 weeks exposure, cells were collected instantly. Cell morphology was observed under invert microscope and Giemsa staining, cell viability was detected by 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, cell cycle and apoptosis was examined by flow cytometry, the protein level of Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen (PCNA) and CyclinD1 was detected by western blot, cell transformation was examined by soft agar clone assay and plate clone forming test, and cell migration ability was observed by scratch adhesion test. It was found that after PF-EMF exposure, cell morphology, apoptosis, cell migration ability and cell transformation didn't change. However, compared with sham group, cell viability obviously decreased and cell cycle distribution also changed after 11 weeks PF-EMF exposure. Meanwhile, the protein level of PCNA and CyclinD1 significantly decreased after PF-EMF exposure. These data suggested that although long-term 50Hz PF-EMF exposure under this experimental condition had no effects on apoptosis, cell migration ability and cell transformation, it could affect cell proliferation and cell cycle by down-regulation the expression of PCNA and CyclinD1 protein.

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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

PopulationBalb/c 3T3 cells (exponential growth phase)

Sample sizeNot supplied

ExposureELF · 2 h/day, 5 days/week for 11 weeks

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Outcomes measured

Cell morphology
Cell viability (MTT)
Cell cycle distribution
Apoptosis
PCNA protein level
CyclinD1 protein level
Cell transformation (soft agar clone assay; plate clone forming test)
Cell migration (scratch adhesion test)

Limitations

Sample size not reported in abstract
Only one exposure condition reported (50 Hz, 2.3 mT; specific schedule)
In vitro cell model; relevance to human health outcomes not established in abstract

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "in_vitro",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "ELF",
    "source": "power-line frequency",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "2 h/day, 5 days/week for 11 weeks"
  },
  "population": "Balb/c 3T3 cells (exponential growth phase)",
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "Cell morphology",
    "Cell viability (MTT)",
    "Cell cycle distribution",
    "Apoptosis",
    "PCNA protein level",
    "CyclinD1 protein level",
    "Cell transformation (soft agar clone assay; plate clone forming test)",
    "Cell migration (scratch adhesion test)"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Balb/c 3T3 cells exposed to 50 Hz PF-EMF at 2.3 mT for 11 weeks showed no changes in morphology, apoptosis, migration ability, or transformation assays compared with sham. Cell viability decreased, cell cycle distribution changed, and PCNA and CyclinD1 protein levels significantly decreased after exposure.",
  "effect_direction": "mixed",
  "limitations": [
    "Sample size not reported in abstract",
    "Only one exposure condition reported (50 Hz, 2.3 mT; specific schedule)",
    "In vitro cell model; relevance to human health outcomes not established in abstract"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "power-line frequency",
    "PF-EMF",
    "ELF",
    "50 Hz",
    "2.3 mT",
    "Balb/c 3T3",
    "cell viability",
    "cell cycle",
    "apoptosis",
    "PCNA",
    "CyclinD1",
    "cell transformation",
    "cell migration"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "occupational-exposure",
      "weight": 0.35,
      "reason": "Study examines power-line frequency (50 Hz) ELF-EMF exposure, relevant to power/industrial 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: 10.1371/journal.pone.0117672
PubMed: 25695503

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