Effect of electromagnetic field exposure on chemically induced differentiation of friend erythroleukemia cells.

Environmental health perspectives · 2000 · Harm · Low evidence

← Research stream

HarmLow evidencePaper 5338

Study snapshot

PublicationEnvironmental health perspectives · 2000

Study typein_vitro

Reported directionHarm

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Whether exposure of humans to extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields (ELF-EMF) can cause cancer is controversial and therefore needs further research. We used a Friend erythroleukemia cell line that can be chemically induced to differentiate to determine whether ELF-EMF could alter proliferation and differentiation in these cells in a manner similar to that of a chemical tumor promoter. Exposure of this cell line to 60 Hz ELF-EMF resulted in a dose dependent inhibition of differentiation, with maximal inhibition peaking at 40% and 40 mG (4 microT). ELF-EMF at 10 mG (1.0 microT) and 25 mG (2.5 microT) inhibited differentiation at 0 and 20%, respectively. ELF-EMF at 1.0 (100) and 10.0 G (1,000 microT) stimulated cell proliferation 50% above the sham-treated cells. The activity of telomerase, a marker of undifferentiated cells, decreased 100[times] when the cells were induced to differentiate under sham conditions, but when the cells were exposed to 0.5 G (50 microT) there was only a 10[times] decrease. In summary, ELF-EMF can partially block the differentiation of Friend erythroleukemia cells, and this results in a larger population of cells remaining in the undifferentiated, proliferative state, which is similar to the published results of Friend erythroleukemia cells treated with chemical-tumor promoters.

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

PopulationFriend erythroleukemia cell line (chemically induced differentiation model)

Sample sizeNot supplied

ExposureELF · 6e-05 MHz

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Exposure to 60 Hz ELF-EMF produced a dose-dependent inhibition of chemically induced differentiation, with maximal inhibition reported as 40% at 40 mG (4 µT). ELF-EMF at 1.0 G (100 µT) and 10.0 G (1,000 µT) increased cell proliferation by 50% versus sham, and exposure to 0.5 G (50 µT) attenuated the decrease in telomerase activity seen with differentiation under sham conditions.

Outcomes measured

Cell differentiation (chemically induced)
Cell proliferation
Telomerase activity

Limitations

In vitro cell-line study; findings may not translate to humans.
Exposure duration not reported in the abstract.
Sample size and replication details not reported 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": "Friend erythroleukemia cell line (chemically induced differentiation model)",
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "Cell differentiation (chemically induced)",
    "Cell proliferation",
    "Telomerase activity"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Exposure to 60 Hz ELF-EMF produced a dose-dependent inhibition of chemically induced differentiation, with maximal inhibition reported as 40% at 40 mG (4 µT). ELF-EMF at 1.0 G (100 µT) and 10.0 G (1,000 µT) increased cell proliferation by 50% versus sham, and exposure to 0.5 G (50 µT) attenuated the decrease in telomerase activity seen with differentiation under sham conditions.",
  "effect_direction": "harm",
  "limitations": [
    "In vitro cell-line study; findings may not translate to humans.",
    "Exposure duration not reported in the abstract.",
    "Sample size and replication details not reported in the abstract."
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "ELF-EMF",
    "60 Hz",
    "Friend erythroleukemia cells",
    "differentiation inhibition",
    "cell proliferation",
    "telomerase",
    "tumor promoter-like effect"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "occupational-exposure",
      "weight": 0.2,
      "reason": "Study involves ELF (60 Hz) magnetic-field exposure levels relevant to some occupational settings, though no specific source is stated."
    }
  ]
}

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: 10.1289/ehp.00108967
PubMed: 11049817

Read the original paper →

Related papers

← Back to the Research Library