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Extremely low frequency magnetic field (ELF-MF) exposure sensitizes SH-SY5Y cells to the pro-Parkinson's Disease toxin MPP.

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Benassi B, Filomeni G, Montagna C, Merla C, Lopresto V, Pinto R, Marino C, Consales C. · 2016

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ELF-MF exposure at 50 Hz, 1 mT did not harm SH-SY5Y cells on its own but made them significantly more vulnerable to the Parkinson's-linked toxin MPP+.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers exposed SH-SY5Y cells to an extremely low frequency magnetic field set up to reproduce environmental prolonged exposure to ELF-MF (50 Hz, 1 mT) and then treated the cells with the pro-Parkinson's toxin MPP+. ELF-MF alone did not affect cell survival, shape, or morphology, but it did significantly impair redox homeostasis and thiol content, triggering an increase in protein carbonylation. When MPP+ was added to ELF-MF-exposed cells, toxicity was highly enhanced, with significant increases in ROS levels, oxidative damage, and caspase-dependent apoptosis. Pre-incubation with the thiol antioxidants N-acetyl-L-cysteine and GSH ethyl-ester significantly reduced oxidative damage and protected cells from death caused by the combined ELF-MF/MPP+ treatment.

Why This Matters

The study used SH-SY5Y cells exposed to a magnetic field designed to reproduce environmental prolonged exposure to ELF-MF (50 Hz, 1 mT). The researchers found that ELF-MF alone did not kill cells or change their shape. However, ELF-MF did significantly impair redox homeostasis and thiol content, triggering an increase in protein carbonylation. This disruption appeared to sensitize cells so that when MPP+ was introduced, even at low doses, toxicity was highly enhanced. The authors stated their results demonstrate the redox-based molecular interaction between ELF-MF and PD neurotoxins in vitro, and open a new scenario for defining the synergy of environmental factors in PD onset.

Exposure Details

Magnetic Field
1 mT
Electric Field
0.0005 V/m
Source/Device
50 Hz
Exposure Duration
6, 12, 24, 48 oder 72 hours and continuous for 24 hours MPP+ tests

Exposure Context

This study used 1 mT for magnetic fields:

Building Biology guidelines are practitioner-based limits from real-world assessments. BioInitiative Report recommendations are based on peer-reviewed science. Check Your Exposure to compare your own measurements.

Where This Falls on the Concern Scale

Study Exposure Level in ContextStudy Exposure Level in ContextThis study: 1 mTExtreme Concern - 5 mGFCC Limit - 2,000 mGEffects observed in the Extreme Concern range (Building Biology)This level is 5 times the FCC limit
A logarithmic frequency spectrum from 10 Hz to 100 GHz showing where this study's 50 Hz exposure sits relative to common EMF sources.Where This Frequency Sits on the EMF SpectrumELFVLFLF / MFHF / VHFUHFSHFmm10 Hz100 GHzThis study: 50 HzCell phones~1 GHzWiFi2.4 GHz5G mm28 GHzLogarithmic scale

Study Details

The occupational/residential exposure to the electromagnetic fields has been recently associated with an increased risk of neurodegenerative diseases; it has been thus proposed that the extremely low frequency magnetic field (ELF-MF) may contribute to neurodegenerative etiopathogenesis, as its interaction with biological systems directly impairs redox homeostasis in specific areas of the brain. The molecular mechanisms elicited by ELF-MF, and their potential involvement in PD onset, still remain unclear. To this end, we set up a generator of ELF-MF able to stably and homogeneously reproduce environmental prolonged exposure to ELF-MF (50 Hz, 1 mT).

Results obtained indicate that ELF-MF exposure alters cell response of SH-SY5Y cells to MPP+. We dem...

Taken overall, our results demonstrate the redox-based molecular interaction between ELF-MF and PD neurotoxins in vitro, and open a new scenario for defining the synergy of environmental factors in PD onset.

Cite This Study
Benassi B, Filomeni G, Montagna C, Merla C, Lopresto V, Pinto R, Marino C, Consales C. (2016). Extremely low frequency magnetic field (ELF-MF) exposure sensitizes SH-SY5Y cells to the pro-Parkinson's Disease toxin MPP. Mol Neurobiol. 53(6):4247-4260, 2016.
Show BibTeX
@article{b_2016_extremely_low_frequency_magnetic_323,
  author = {Benassi B and Filomeni G and Montagna C and Merla C and Lopresto V and Pinto R and Marino C and Consales C.},
  title = {Extremely low frequency magnetic field (ELF-MF) exposure sensitizes SH-SY5Y cells to the pro-Parkinson's Disease toxin MPP.},
  year = {2016},
  doi = {10.1007/s12035-015-9354-4},
  url = {https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12035-015-9354-4},
}
DOI: 10.1007/s12035-015-9354-4

Cited By (50 papers)

Quick Questions About This Study

ELF-MF did not affect cell survival, shape, or morphology on its own, but it did significantly impair redox homeostasis and thiol content.
Toxicity of MPP+, even at low doses, was highly enhanced in ELF-MF-exposed cells, with a significant increase in ROS levels, potentiation of oxidative damage, and induction of a caspase-dependent apoptosis.
The researchers set up a generator to reproduce environmental prolonged exposure to ELF-MF at 50 Hz and 1 mT.
Pre-incubation with the thiol antioxidants N-acetyl-L-cysteine and GSH ethyl-ester significantly reduced oxidative damage and protected cells from death induced by the combined treatment ELF-MF/MPP+.
The authors stated their results demonstrate the redox-based molecular interaction between ELF-MF and PD neurotoxins in vitro, and open a new scenario for defining the synergy of environmental factors in PD onset.