Cancer on-target: Selective enhancement of 3-bromopyruvate action by an electromagnetic field in vitro.

Free radical biology & medicine · 2022 · Benefit · Low evidence

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BenefitLow evidencePaper 5757

Continuous or pulsed ELF-EMF in combination with 3-bromopyruvate (3BP) potentiated 3BP anti-cancer activity in human cancer cells in vitro. The abstract attributes this to inhibition of TNFα secretion leading to irreversible p21/p27-dependent G2/M arrest and …

Study snapshot

PublicationFree radical biology & medicine · 2022

Study typein_vitro

Reported directionBenefit

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the modern world. Nowadays, most often treatment methods used in clinical oncology are drug therapies applied as monotherapy or combined therapy. Additionally, recent studies focus on developing approaches with the use of a drug in combination with other factors, not only chemical, to improve the probability and magnitude of therapeutic responses and reduce the possibility of chemoresistance. Such a promising factor seems to be an electromagnetic field (EMF) application. Here, we tested the effect of continuous or pulsed EMF on human cancer cells of different origin treated or not with 3-bromopyruvate, a small and powerful alkylating agent with a broad spectrum of anticancer activities. We provide strong evidence suggesting that ELF-EMF potentiates the anti-cancer activity of 3BP in human cancer cells through inhibition of TNFα secretion leading to irreversible p21/p27-dependent G2/M cell cycle arrest and finally cancer cell death. Our findings suggest a novel approach combining pharmacotherapy with ELF-EMF. In conclusion, electromagnetic field seems to be a potential modulator of anti-cancer efficacy of 3BP while combined therapy offers off-target activity. These features contribute to the development of innovative therapeutic strategies for cancer treatment.

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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 directionbenefit

PopulationHuman cancer cells of different origin (in vitro)

Sample sizeNot supplied

ExposureELF

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 74% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Outcomes measured

Anti-cancer activity of 3-bromopyruvate (3BP)
TNFα secretion
p21/p27-dependent G2/M cell cycle arrest
Cancer cell death

Limitations

In vitro study (human cancer cells; not clinical outcomes)
No EMF exposure parameters (e.g., frequency, field strength) reported in the abstract
Sample size not reported in the abstract

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "in_vitro",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "ELF",
    "source": "other",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": null
  },
  "population": "Human cancer cells of different origin (in vitro)",
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "Anti-cancer activity of 3-bromopyruvate (3BP)",
    "TNFα secretion",
    "p21/p27-dependent G2/M cell cycle arrest",
    "Cancer cell death"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Continuous or pulsed ELF-EMF in combination with 3-bromopyruvate (3BP) potentiated 3BP anti-cancer activity in human cancer cells in vitro. The abstract attributes this to inhibition of TNFα secretion leading to irreversible p21/p27-dependent G2/M arrest and cancer cell death.",
  "effect_direction": "benefit",
  "limitations": [
    "In vitro study (human cancer cells; not clinical outcomes)",
    "No EMF exposure parameters (e.g., frequency, field strength) reported in the abstract",
    "Sample size not reported in the abstract"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.74,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "ELF-EMF",
    "electromagnetic field",
    "3-bromopyruvate",
    "cancer cells",
    "TNFα",
    "p21",
    "p27",
    "G2/M arrest",
    "cell death",
    "combined therapy"
  ],
  "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: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2022.01.011
PubMed: 35063649

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