Competition between hydrogen bonding and protein aggregation in neuronal-like cells under exposure to 50 Hz magnetic field.
Calabrò E. · 2016
View Original AbstractThis study shows that 50 Hz magnetic fields cause protein clumping in brain cells, revealing how everyday EMF exposure may disrupt cellular function.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed human brain-like cells to a 50 Hz magnetic field (the type emitted by power lines and household appliances) for 4 hours and found significant changes in cellular proteins. The magnetic field caused proteins to clump together abnormally and altered their structural bonds, which are critical for proper brain cell function. These molecular changes suggest that everyday electromagnetic fields may disrupt normal cellular processes in brain tissue.
Why This Matters
This study provides compelling molecular-level evidence that extremely low frequency magnetic fields can alter fundamental cellular processes in brain tissue. The 1 mT exposure level used here is higher than typical household exposures (which range from 0.01 to 0.2 mT near appliances), but well within levels found near power lines or electrical equipment. What makes this research particularly significant is that it identifies specific mechanisms by which EMF exposure affects cells - protein aggregation and hydrogen bonding changes that could impair normal brain function. The science demonstrates that EMF effects aren't just statistical correlations but involve measurable biochemical changes at the cellular level. While more research is needed to understand long-term health implications, this study adds to growing evidence that our brains respond to electromagnetic exposures in ways we're only beginning to understand.
Exposure Details
- Magnetic Field
- 1 mG
- Source/Device
- 50 Hz
- Exposure Duration
- 4h
Exposure Context
This study used 1 mG for magnetic fields:
- 50Kx above the Building Biology guideline of 0.2 mG
- 10Kx 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
To investigate the role of hydrogen bonding and protein unfolding in human SH-SY5Y neuronal-like cells under exposure to a 50 Hz magnetic field (MF) at the intensity of 1 mT.
Neuronal-like cells were placed into an incubator in a 5% CO2/95% air humidified at the temperature ...
The vibration bands of the methylene group increased significantly after 4 h of exposure. A signific...
These results can be explained assuming that both the mechanisms of protein aggregation as well as the increase in hydrogen bonding occurred in neuronal-like cells under exposure to a 50 Hz MF.
Show BibTeX
@article{e._2016_competition_between_hydrogen_bonding_607,
author = {Calabrò E.},
title = {Competition between hydrogen bonding and protein aggregation in neuronal-like cells under exposure to 50 Hz magnetic field.},
year = {2016},
doi = {10.1080/09553002.2016.1175679},
url = {https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09553002.2016.1175679},
}