Author: Buckner CA1, Buckner AL1, Koren SA2, Persinger MA3, Lafrenie RM4.
Affiliation: 1Departments of Biomolecular Sciences, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada; Regional Cancer Program, Health Sciences North, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. 2Behavioural Neurosciences, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. 3Departments of Biomolecular Sciences, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada; Behavioural Neurosciences, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. 4Departments of Biomolecular Sciences, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada; Regional Cancer Program, Health Sciences North, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada; Northern Ontario School of Medicine, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada.
Conference/Journal: PLoS One.
Date published: 2015 Apr 14
Other:
Volume ID: 10 , Issue ID: 4 , Pages: e0124136 , Special Notes: doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0124136 , Word Count: 206
Electromagnetic field (EMF) exposures affect many biological systems. The reproducibility of these effects is related to the intensity, duration, frequency, and pattern of the EMF. We have shown that exposure to a specific time-varying EMF can inhibit the growth of malignant cells. Thomas-EMF is a low-intensity, frequency-modulated (25-6 Hz) EMF pattern. Daily, 1 h, exposures to Thomas-EMF inhibited the growth of malignant cell lines including B16-BL6, MDA-MB-231, MCF-7, and HeLa cells but did not affect the growth of non-malignant cells. Thomas-EMF also inhibited B16-BL6 cell proliferation in vivo. B16-BL6 cells implanted in syngeneic C57b mice and exposed daily to Thomas-EMF produced smaller tumours than in sham-treated controls. In vitro studies showed that exposure of malignant cells to Thomas-EMF for > 15 min promoted Ca2+ influx which could be blocked by inhibitors of voltage-gated T-type Ca2+ channels. Blocking Ca2+ uptake also blocked Thomas-EMF-dependent inhibition of cell proliferation. Exposure to Thomas-EMF delayed cell cycle progression and altered cyclin expression consistent with the decrease in cell proliferation. Non-malignant cells did not show any EMF-dependent changes in Ca2+ influx or cell growth. These data confirm that exposure to a specific EMF pattern can affect cellular processes and that exposure to Thomas-EMF may provide a potential anti-cancer therapy.
PMID: 25875081