Extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields modulate expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase, endothelial nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase-2 in the human keratinocyte cell line HaCat: potential therapeutic effects in wound healing.
Patruno A, Amerio P, Pesce M, Vianale G, Di Luzio S, Tulli A, Franceschelli S, Grilli A, Muraro R, Reale M. · 2010
View Original AbstractELF electromagnetic fields significantly altered wound healing processes in human skin cells, demonstrating measurable biological effects even in therapeutic applications.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed human skin cells (keratinocytes) to extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields to study potential wound healing effects. They found that EMF exposure increased production of nitric oxide and cell growth while reducing inflammatory markers. These cellular changes suggest ELF-EMF could potentially accelerate wound healing by promoting beneficial processes while reducing harmful inflammation.
Why This Matters
This study adds to growing evidence that extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields can produce measurable biological effects in human cells, even when researchers are investigating potential therapeutic applications. The findings show EMF exposure altered multiple cellular processes involved in wound healing - increasing nitric oxide production and cell proliferation while decreasing inflammatory markers like COX-2. What makes this research particularly noteworthy is that it demonstrates EMF can simultaneously trigger beneficial and protective cellular responses, challenging the simplistic view that all EMF effects are necessarily harmful. However, the study lacks crucial exposure details, making it impossible to compare these laboratory conditions to real-world EMF levels from power lines, appliances, or other sources. The reality is that while this research suggests potential therapeutic applications, it also confirms that EMF exposure produces significant biological changes in human cells - a finding that warrants careful consideration regardless of whether the effects appear beneficial or harmful in this specific context.
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study.
Study Details
The present study analysed the effect of ELF-EMF on the human keratinocyte cell line HaCaT in order to assess the mechanisms of action of ELF-EMF and to provide further support for their therapeutic use in wound healing.
Exposed HaCaT cells were compared with unexposed control cells. At different exposure times, express...
The exposure of HaCaT cells to ELF-EMF increased iNOS and eNOS expression levels. These ELF-EMF-depe...
Mediators of inflammation, such as reactive nitrogen and PGE2, and keratinocyte proliferation are critical for the tissue regenerative processes. The ability of ELF-EMF to upmodulate NOS activities, thus nitrogen intermediates, as well as cell proliferation, and to downregulate COX-2 expression and the downstream intermediate PGE2, highlights the potential therapeutic role of ELF-EMF in wound healing processes.
Show BibTeX
@article{a_2010_extremely_low_frequency_electromagnetic_1601,
author = {Patruno A and Amerio P and Pesce M and Vianale G and Di Luzio S and Tulli A and Franceschelli S and Grilli A and Muraro R and Reale M.},
title = {Extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields modulate expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase, endothelial nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase-2 in the human keratinocyte cell line HaCat: potential therapeutic effects in wound healing. },
year = {2010},
doi = {10.1111/j.1365-2133.2009.09527.x},
url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1365-2133.2009.09527.x},
}