Extremely low frequency electromagnetic field enhances human keratinocyte cell growth and decreases proinflammatory chemokine production.

The British journal of dermatology · 2008 · Mixed · Low evidence

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MixedLow evidencePaper 5019

HaCaT keratinocytes exposed to 1 mT, 50 Hz ELF-EMF showed significantly increased growth rates after 48 h versus unexposed controls, with no reported difference in viability. Chemokine expression and release (RANTES, MCP-1, MIP-1 alpha, IL-8) were significant…

Study snapshot

PublicationThe British journal of dermatology · 2008

Study typein_vitro

Reported directionMixed

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Proliferation and differentiation of keratinocytes are central processes in tissue regeneration after injury. Chemokines, produced by a wide range of cell types including keratinocytes, play a regulatory role in inflammatory skin diseases. Several studies have shown that an electromagnetic field (EMF) can influence both inflammatory processes and repair mechanisms including wound healing on different tissue models. OBJECTIVES: To elucidate the effect of extremely low frequency EMF (ELF-EMF) on keratinocyte proliferation and production of chemokines [RANTES, monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1, macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-1 alpha and interleukin (IL)-8] in order to evaluate a potential therapeutic use of magnetic fields. METHODS: The human keratinocyte cell line HaCaT was exposed at 1 mT, 50 Hz for different lengths of time and compared with unexposed control cells. Cell growth and viability were evaluated at different exposure times by cell count and trypan blue exclusion. Chemokine production and expression were analysed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Total NF-kappaB p65 was quantified by ELISA. RESULTS: Significantly increased growth rates were observed after 48 h of EMF exposure as compared with control cells, while no difference in cell viabilities were detected. Gene expression and release of RANTES, MCP-1, MIP-1 alpha and IL-8 were significantly reduced after 72 h of exposure. NF-kappaB levels became almost undetectable after only 1 h of EMF exposure, and were inversely correlated with cell density. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that ELF-EMF modulates chemokine production and keratinocyte growth through inhibition of the NF-kappaB signalling pathway and thus may inhibit inflammatory processes. ELF-EMF could represent an additional therapeutic approach in the treatment of skin injury.

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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

PopulationHuman keratinocyte cell line (HaCaT)

Sample sizeNot supplied

ExposureELF · 0.05 MHz · 1 h, 48 h, 72 h (different lengths of time; specific timepoints reported)

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Outcomes measured

Keratinocyte cell growth rate
Cell viability
Chemokine gene expression and release (RANTES, MCP-1, MIP-1 alpha, IL-8)
NF-kappaB p65 levels

Limitations

In vitro study using a single human keratinocyte cell line (HaCaT)
Sample size not reported in the abstract
Exposure durations described generally as 'different lengths of time' (full protocol details not in abstract)

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "in_vitro",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "ELF",
    "source": null,
    "frequency_mhz": 0.05,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "1 h, 48 h, 72 h (different lengths of time; specific timepoints reported)"
  },
  "population": "Human keratinocyte cell line (HaCaT)",
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "Keratinocyte cell growth rate",
    "Cell viability",
    "Chemokine gene expression and release (RANTES, MCP-1, MIP-1 alpha, IL-8)",
    "NF-kappaB p65 levels"
  ],
  "main_findings": "HaCaT keratinocytes exposed to 1 mT, 50 Hz ELF-EMF showed significantly increased growth rates after 48 h versus unexposed controls, with no reported difference in viability. Chemokine expression and release (RANTES, MCP-1, MIP-1 alpha, IL-8) were significantly reduced after 72 h, and NF-kappaB p65 levels became almost undetectable after 1 h of exposure.",
  "effect_direction": "mixed",
  "limitations": [
    "In vitro study using a single human keratinocyte cell line (HaCaT)",
    "Sample size not reported in the abstract",
    "Exposure durations described generally as 'different lengths of time' (full protocol details not in abstract)"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "extremely low frequency",
    "ELF-EMF",
    "50 Hz",
    "1 mT",
    "keratinocytes",
    "HaCaT",
    "cell proliferation",
    "chemokines",
    "RANTES",
    "MCP-1",
    "MIP-1 alpha",
    "IL-8",
    "NF-kappaB",
    "inflammation",
    "wound healing"
  ],
  "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: 10.1111/j.1365-2133.2008.08540.x
PubMed: 18410412

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