To test whether a magnetic field of 10 µT and 100 µT influences the proliferation of a neuroblastoma cell line, alone or in combination with retinoic acid (a retinoid applied in oncostatic therapies).
A previous study (Trillo et al., 2012 ) has shown a stimulating effect of a magnetic field of 100 µT in a neuroblastoma cell line.
Two experiments were conducted: In the first experiment, cells were either exposed to a 10 µT magnetic field, exposed to a 100 µT magnetic field or sham exposed. In the second experiment the cell samples were submitted to one of the following treatment methods: 1.) sham exposure, 2.) sham exposure + retinoic acid (2 µM), 3.) exposure and 4.) exposure + retinoic acid (2 µM).
| Exposure | Parameters |
|---|---|
|
Exposure 1:
50 Hz
Exposure duration:
intermittent for 3 h "on" - 3 h "off" for 42 h or 90 h
|
|
The cells were treated in the following groups: i) control group ii) retinoic acid treatment iii) exposure to EMF iv) retinoic acid treatment + exposure to EMF
| Frequency | 50 Hz |
|---|---|
| Type | |
| Waveform | |
| Exposure duration | intermittent for 3 h "on" - 3 h "off" for 42 h or 90 h |
| Exposure source | |
|---|---|
| Setup | two sets of Helmholtz coils with a diameter of 20 cm and 1000 turns of enamelled copper wire each, positioned 10 cm apart; five or twenty Petri dishes placed between the coils for exposure; coil sets housed in magnetically shielded Co-Netic alloy boxes which were placed inside incubators with 5 % CO2 and 37°C |
| Sham exposure | A sham exposure was conducted. |
| Measurand | Value | Type | Method | Mass | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| magnetic flux density | 10 µT | - | - | - | - |
| magnetic flux density | 100 µT | - | - | - | - |
The experiments showed that exposure to magnetic fields of 10 µT or 100 µT significantly increased the proliferation and the DNA content when compared to the control samples, but did not influence the cell viability and the total protein content. No significant differences were observed between the two magnetic flux densities. However, the second experiment showed that a treatment with retinoic acid significantly reduced the proliferation in comparison to the control cell culture, independent if the cell cultures were exposed or sham exposed. Hence, no significant difference was observed between group 2 (sham exposure + retinoic acid) and group 4 (exposure + retinoic acid).
The authors conclude that a magnetic field exposure of 10 µT or 100 µT could enhance the cell proliferation in a neuroblastoma cell line and that retinoic acid may inhibit this effect. In summary, the present data could be of potential relevance to identify the mechanisms of action by which extremely low frequency magnetic fields affect human cells.
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