Effects of acute and chronic low frequency electromagnetic field exposure on PC12 cells during neuronal differentiation
Morabito C, Guarnieri S, Fanò G, Mariggiò MA · 2010
View Original AbstractBrief EMF exposure triggered nerve cell stress and disrupted calcium signaling at levels comparable to everyday electrical exposures.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed nerve cells to electromagnetic fields for 30 minutes or 7 days. Brief exposures increased harmful molecules and disrupted calcium signaling essential for nerve function, while longer exposures showed different effects. These findings suggest EMF exposure can interfere with healthy nerve cell development.
Why This Matters
This study provides important mechanistic evidence for how EMF exposure affects nerve cells at the cellular level. The researchers identified two key pathways - oxidative stress and calcium signaling - that are disrupted by EMF exposure, even at relatively brief durations of just 30 minutes. What makes this particularly significant is that these cellular stress responses occurred at magnetic field strengths (0.1-1.0 mT) that are well within the range of everyday exposures from power lines, electrical appliances, and some occupational settings. The fact that acute exposure triggered immediate cellular stress responses while chronic exposure showed different patterns suggests our cells may attempt to adapt to ongoing EMF exposure, but this adaptation comes at a biological cost. This research adds to the growing body of evidence that EMF exposure can trigger cellular stress pathways that may contribute to neurological health effects over time.
Exposure Details
- Magnetic Field
- 0.1-1.0 mG
- Exposure Duration
- 30 min (Acute exposure)
Exposure Context
This study used 0.1-1.0 mG for magnetic fields:
- 5Kx above the Building Biology guideline of 0.2 mG
- 1Kx above the BioInitiative Report recommendation of 1 mG
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 Details
The purpose of this study was to provide information about the in vitro neuritogenesis during cell exposure to extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields (ELF-EMFs) of different intensities and durations using pheochromocytoma-derived cell line (PC12 cells) as neuronal model
Proliferative rates and neuritogenesis were tested by colorimetric assay and morphological analysis,...
The long-lasting ELF-EMF exposure (0.1-1.0 mT) did not appear to significantly affect the biological...
Even if further studies remain necessary to identify the ROS/intracellular Ca2+cross-talking pathway activated by ELF-EMF exposure, we support the hypothesis that ROS and Ca2+ could be the cellular “primum movens” of the ELF-EMF induced effects on biological systems.
Show BibTeX
@article{c_2010_effects_of_acute_and_429,
author = {Morabito C and Guarnieri S and Fanò G and Mariggiò MA},
title = {Effects of acute and chronic low frequency electromagnetic field exposure on PC12 cells during neuronal differentiation},
year = {2010},
url = {https://www.karger.com/Article/Abstract/324003},
}