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A 60 Hz uniform electromagnetic field promotes human cell proliferation by decreasing intracellular reactive oxygen species levels.

PloS one · 2018 · Mixed · Low evidence

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MixedLow evidencePaper 5524

Single or repetitive exposure to a 6 mT, 60 Hz uniform EMF did not induce DNA damage or affect cell viability in HeLa or IMR-90 cells. Continuous exposure promoted proliferation (reported viability increase after 168 h: 24.4% in HeLa; 15.2% in IMR-90), correl…

Study snapshot

PublicationPloS one · 2018
Study typein_vitro
Reported directionMixed
Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Previously, we showed that exposure of human normal and cancer cells to a 6 mT, 60 Hz gradient electromagnetic field (EMF) induced genotoxicity. Here, we investigated the cellular effects of a uniform EMF. Single or repetitive exposure to a 6 mT, 60 Hz uniform EMF neither induced DNA damage nor affected cell viability in HeLa and primary IMR-90 fibroblasts. However, continuous exposure of these cells to an EMF promoted cell proliferation. Cell viability increased 24.4% for HeLa and 15.2% for IMR-90 cells after a total 168 h exposure by subculture. This increase in cell proliferation was directly correlated with EMF strength and exposure time. When further incubated without EMF, cell proliferation slowed down to that of unexposed cells, suggesting that the proliferative effect is reversible. The expression of cell cycle markers increased in cells continuously exposed to an EMF as expected, but the distribution of cells in each stage of the cell cycle did not change. Notably, intracellular reactive oxygen species levels decreased and phosphorylation of Akt and Erk1/2 increased in cells exposed to an EMF, suggesting that reduced levels of intracellular reactive oxygen species play a role in increased proliferation. These results demonstrate that EMF uniformity at an extremely low frequency (ELF) is an important factor in the cellular effects of ELF-EMF.

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 directionmixed
PopulationHuman cell lines: HeLa and primary IMR-90 fibroblasts
Sample sizeNot supplied
ExposureELF · 0.06 MHz · single, repetitive, or continuous exposure; continuous exposure total 168 h (with subculture)
Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Single or repetitive exposure to a 6 mT, 60 Hz uniform EMF did not induce DNA damage or affect cell viability in HeLa or IMR-90 cells. Continuous exposure promoted proliferation (reported viability increase after 168 h: 24.4% in HeLa; 15.2% in IMR-90), correlated with EMF strength and exposure time, and was reversible after stopping exposure. ROS levels decreased and Akt/Erk1/2 phosphorylation increased in exposed cells.

Outcomes measured

  • DNA damage/genotoxicity
  • Cell viability
  • Cell proliferation
  • Cell cycle marker expression
  • Cell cycle stage distribution
  • Intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels
  • Akt phosphorylation
  • Erk1/2 phosphorylation

Limitations

  • Sample size not reported in abstract
  • In vitro study (cell culture), limiting direct inference to human health outcomes
  • Exposure conditions described as 6 mT uniform EMF; details of dosimetry beyond field strength/uniformity not provided in abstract
View raw extracted JSON
{
  "study_type": "in_vitro",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "ELF",
    "source": null,
    "frequency_mhz": 0.06,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "single, repetitive, or continuous exposure; continuous exposure total 168 h (with subculture)"
  },
  "population": "Human cell lines: HeLa and primary IMR-90 fibroblasts",
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "DNA damage/genotoxicity",
    "Cell viability",
    "Cell proliferation",
    "Cell cycle marker expression",
    "Cell cycle stage distribution",
    "Intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels",
    "Akt phosphorylation",
    "Erk1/2 phosphorylation"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Single or repetitive exposure to a 6 mT, 60 Hz uniform EMF did not induce DNA damage or affect cell viability in HeLa or IMR-90 cells. Continuous exposure promoted proliferation (reported viability increase after 168 h: 24.4% in HeLa; 15.2% in IMR-90), correlated with EMF strength and exposure time, and was reversible after stopping exposure. ROS levels decreased and Akt/Erk1/2 phosphorylation increased in exposed cells.",
  "effect_direction": "mixed",
  "limitations": [
    "Sample size not reported in abstract",
    "In vitro study (cell culture), limiting direct inference to human health outcomes",
    "Exposure conditions described as 6 mT uniform EMF; details of dosimetry beyond field strength/uniformity not provided in abstract"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "extremely low frequency",
    "ELF-EMF",
    "60 Hz",
    "6 mT",
    "uniform electromagnetic field",
    "HeLa",
    "IMR-90",
    "cell proliferation",
    "reactive oxygen species",
    "ROS",
    "Akt",
    "Erk1/2",
    "DNA damage",
    "genotoxicity"
  ],
  "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: 10.1371/journal.pone.0199753
PubMed: 30011321

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