Magnetic fields and cancer: animal and cellular evidence--an overview

Biophysical control of plasticity and patterning in regeneration and cancer

Cells and tissues display a remarkable range of plasticity and tissue-patterning activities that are emergent of complex signaling dynamics within their microenvironments. These properties, which when operating normally guide embryogenesis and regeneration, become highly disordered in diseases such as cancer. While morphogens and other molecular factors help determine the shapes of tissues and their patterned cellular organization, the parallel contributions of biophysical control mechanisms must be considered to accurately predict and model important processes such as growth, maturation, injury, repair, and senescence. We now know that mechanical, optical, electric, and electromagnetic signals are integral to cellular plasticity and tissue patterning. Because biophysical modalities underly interactions between cells and their extracellular matrices, including cell cycle, metabolism, migration, and differentiation, their applications as tuning dials for regenerative and anti-cancer therapies are being rapidly exploited. Despite this, the importance of cellular communication through biophysical signaling remains disproportionately underrepresented in the literature. Here, we provide a review of biophysical signaling modalities and known mechanisms that initiate, modulate, or inhibit plasticity and tissue patterning in models of regeneration and cancer. We also discuss current approaches in biomedical engineering that harness biophysical control mechanisms to model, characterize, diagnose, and treat disease states.

On the thermal effect induced in tissue samples exposed to extremely low-frequency electromagnetic field

BACKGROUND

The influence of electromagnetic exposure on mammalian tissues was approached as a public health issue aiming to reveal the putative side effect of 50 Hz industrial and domestic supply source (i) during aliments storage near such sources; (ii) in people staying couple of hours in the proximity of conducting wires.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Fluorescence emission based thermal sensor was used to emphasize temperature dynamics of fresh meat samples during controlled electromagnetic exposure in Helmholtz coils adjusted to deliver 50 Hz / (4÷10) mT electromagnetic field in their inner volume. Fluoroptic temperature probe with 0.1 °C accuracy measurement and data acquisition software allowed reading temperature every second, in the tissue volume during exposure.

RESULTS

The temperature dynamics curves of ex-vivo porcine tissues like liver, kidney, brain, muscle, lung, and bone, were comparatively analyzed - the choosing of the mammalian species being justified by metabolic and physiological similarities with human body. The curve slopes appear to be the same for the range of initial temperatures chosen to perform the tests (20.0 ± 0.1 °C), the temperature increase reaching around 2.0 °C for the magnetic flux density of 10 mT. Quantitative dependence was evidenced between the thermal effect and the magnetic flux density.

CONCLUSIONS

The technical interpretation is based on heating effect, on bioimpedance increasing and on water vaporization during wet sample exposure. The biomedical aspects derive from the degrading effects of food heating as well as from possible in vivo effects of living body exposure.

50 Hz extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields enhance protein carbonyl groups content in cancer cells: effects on proteasomal systems

Electromagnetic fields are an assessed cause of prolonging free radicals lifespan. This study was carried out to investigate the influence of extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields on protein oxidation and on the 20S proteasome functionality, the complex responsible for the degradation of oxidized proteins. Caco 2 cells were exposed, for 24-72 hours, to 1 mT, 50 Hz electromagnetic fields. The treatment induced a time-dependent increase both in cell growth and in protein oxidation, more evident in the presence of TPA, while no changes in cell viability were detected. Exposing the cells to 50 Hz electromagnetic fields caused a global activation of the 20S proteasome catalytic components, particularly evident at 72 hours exposure and in the presence of TPA. The finding that EGCG, a natural antioxidant compound, counteracted the field-related pro-oxidant effects demonstrates that the increased proteasome activity was due to an enhancement in intracellular free radicals.

Effects of 50 Hz extremely low frequency magnetic field on the morphology and function of boar spermatozoa capacitated in vitro

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of an acute exposure to a sinusoidal MF-ELF (50 Hz, 1mT) on the ability of boar mature spermatozoa to acquire the fertilizing competence in vitro. The spermatozoa exposed during the 4h of incubation to the MF-ELF were evaluated for morphological (surface morphology and acrosome integrity) and functional parameters (cell viability, motility, induction of acrosomal reaction, AR, and the ability to in vitro fertilize oocytes). In parallel, the intracellular Ca(2+) levels as well as the major mechanisms of Ca(2+) clearance were assessed: (45)Ca intakes and intracellular Ca(2+) sequestration by analyzing intracellular Ca(2+) elevation induced by thapsigargin or studying mitochondrial function with Mito-Tracker. The MF-ELF exposure did not affect sperm viability and morphology during the first h of incubation when sperm Ca(2+) homeostasis were already compromised. First of all, MF-ELF treated spermatozoa showed resting intracellular Ca(2+) levels significantly lower than those recorded in controls. This result was dependent on a lower extracellular Ca(2+) intake and from the inhibitory role exerted on both intracellular Ca(2+) storages. As a consequence, after 1h of incubation MF-ELF exposed cells displayed a reduced motility, a modest reactivity when coincubated with solubilized zonae pellucidae and a reduction in oocyte penetrating ability. After 2 or 4h of incubation, in addition, signs of morphological damage appeared on plasma membrane and at acrosomal level. In conclusion, MF-ELF influence negatively spermatozoa first by impairing cell Ca(2+) homeostasis then by dramatically affecting sperm morphology and function.

Phospholipase C-dependent phosphoinositide breakdown induced by ELF-EMF in Peganum harmala calli

With the aim of examining the response of plant cells to extremely low frequency (ELF) electromagnetic fields (EMF), we investigated the behaviour of the phosphatidylinositol 4,5 bisphosphate (PtdIns 4,5-P(2)) molecule (the precursor of the phosphoinositide signal transduction cascade) by exposing callus cells from Peganum harmala to 50 Hz, 1 gauss EMF for 10 min and by examining the level and the fatty acid composition of PtdIns 4,5-P(2) after the exposure. Our results evidenced a statistically significant decrease in PtdIns 4,5-P(2) concentrations and a different involvement of the constituting fatty acids in the induced breakdown. The manipulation of the lipid-based signalling pathway by phosphoinositide-phospholipase C (PI-PLC) inhibitors (i.e., neomycin, U-73122 and ET-18-OCH(3)) seems to support the hypothesis that, as in animals, also in plants, the cell membrane is the primary impact site of ELF electromagnetic stimulus and that this interaction could probably involve the activation of PI signal transduction pathway including a heterotrimeric G protein.

Influence of 50 Hz electromagnetic fields in combination with a tumour promoting phorbol ester on protein kinase C and cell cycle in human cells

It still is an unsolved issue whether exposure to power-line frequency electromagnetic fields (EMF) may promote carcinogenesis and if so whether it does so by influencing the proliferation, the survival, and the differentiation of cells. Since the family of protein kinases C (PKC) takes part in these processes by interacting with signal transduction pathways at several levels including the activation of transcription factors, we evaluated in the present study the effects of exposure of human amniotic fluid cells (AFC) to 50 Hz, 1 mT electromagnetic fields (EMF) alone and in combination with the tumour promoting phorbol ester 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA) on the subcellular localization of PKC protein, on PKC enzyme activity, and on the cell cycle distribution. Quantitative analyses of the PKC expression pattern demonstrated the translocation of PKC from the cytosolic to the membrane fraction after exposure to 10, 50, 100 nM, and 1 microM TPA. EMF exposure alone showed no effect on PKC translocation. Co-exposure to 10, 50, and 100 nM TPA and I mT EMF revealed a significant additive effect (25 +/- 50, 66 +/- 29, 22 +/- 50%, respectively) with the most prominent increase at the concentration of 50 nM TPA. At the highest concentration of TPA used (1 microM) no additive effect of EMF could be observed. Data on enzymatic activity indicate that EMF modulate the PKC activity, showing a significant increase of 10 +/- 16% in total PKC activity after co-exposure to 50 nM TPA and 1 mT EMF when compared to 50 nM TPA alone. Flow cytometric analyses showed a transient cell cycle arrest in G0/G1-phase followed by a delayed transit through S-phase in response to TPA, which was, however, not enhanced by co-exposure with EMF. We conclude that in AFC cells TPA at lower concentrations (< or = 100 nM) induces a less than maximum effect on the PKC pathway, which can be enhanced by the applied EMF.

Effect of magnetic field exposure on anchorage-independent growth of a promoter-sensitive mouse epidermal cell line (JB6)

The anchorage-independent growth of mouse epidermal cells (JB6) exposed to 60-Hz magnetic fields (MF) was investigated. Promotion-responsive JB6 cells were suspended in agar (10(4)cells/plate) and exposed continuously to 0.10 or 0.96 mT, 60-Hz magnetic fields for 10-14 days, with or without concurrent treatment with the tumor promoter tetradecanoylphorbol acetate (TPA). Exposures to MF were conducted in a manner such that the experimenter was blind to the treatment group of the cells. At the end of the exposure period, the anchorage-independent growth of JB6 cells on soft agar was examined by counting the number of colonies larger than 60 microm (minimum of 60 cells). The use of a combined treatment of the cells with both MF and TPA was to provide an internal positive control to estimate the success of the assay and to allow evaluation of co-promotion. Statistical analysis was performed by a randomized block design analysis of variance to examine both the effect of TPA treatment (alone and in combination with MF exposure) and the effect of intra-assay variability. Transformation frequency of JB6 cells displayed a dose-dependent response to increasing concentrations of TPA. Coexposure of cells to both TPA and 0.10 or 0.96 mT, 60-Hz MF did not result in any differences in transformation frequency for any TPA concentrations tested (0-1 ng/ml). These data indicate that exposure to a 0.10 or 0.96 mT, 60-Hz MF does not act as a promoter or co-promoter in promotion-sensitive JB6 cell anchorage-independent growth.

60 Hz magnetic field exposure induces DNA crosslinks in rat brain cells

In previous research, we found an increase in DNA strand breaks in brain cells of rats acutely exposed to a 60 Hz magnetic field (for 2 h at an intensity of 0.5 mT). DNA strand breaks were measured with a microgel electrophoresis assay using the length of DNA migration as an index. In the present experiment, we found that most of the magnetic field-induced increase in DNA migration was observed only after proteinase-K treatment, suggesting that the field caused DNA-protein crosslinks. In addition, when brain cells from control rats were exposed to X-rays, an increase in DNA migration was observed, the extent of which was independent of proteinase-K treatment. However, the X-ray-induced increase in DNA migration was retarded in cells from animals exposed to magnetic fields even after proteinase-K treatment, suggesting that DNA-DNA crosslinks were also induced by the magnetic field. The effects of magnetic fields were also compared with those of a known DNA crosslink-inducing agent mitomycin C. The pattern of effects is similar between the two agents. These data suggest that both DNA-protein and DNA-DNA crosslinks are formed in brain cells of rats after acute exposure to a 60 Hz magnetic field.

The effect of 60-Hz magnetic fields on co-promotion of chemically induced skin tumors on SENCAR mice: a discussion of three studies

Three independent experiments involving a total of 288 SENCAR mice were used to study the effects of 60-Hz magnetic fields on the growth and development of skin tumors. Given the constraints imposed by the experimental design, the results did not support a role for magnetic fields as a tumor co-promoter. This negative finding could also be interpreted to mean that the SENCAR mouse skin tumor model was not sensitive enough to detect the action of a weak co-promoter. The two-stage (initiation/promotion) model was used to assess the genotoxic potential of magnetic fields because it had been widely used to evaluate chemical carcinogens. This model, however, lacks the sensitivity to detect all but the most potent direct-acting carcinogens, and the tumor response to the action of low doses of promoter results in large random fluctuations in tumor incidence, yield, and multiplicity. The need to limit tumor incidence in the sham is a necessary condition to ensure that a magnetic field-induced effect on tumorigenesis would have a reasonable chance of being detected. This requirement, and the variability in tumor development between and within experiments, increases the level of uncertainty in the system and makes a weak response to the magnetic field difficult to detect and interpret.