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GROWTH OF HUMAN BONE MARROW CELLS IN AGAR CULTURE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ELECTRICAL CURRENTS

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Authors not listed · 1977

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Direct electrical current severely damaged human bone marrow cells while alternating current showed no effect, revealing current type matters for biological impact.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers exposed human bone marrow cells to different types of electrical currents in laboratory culture dishes. They found that alternating current (AC) pulses had no effect on cell growth, but direct current (DC) at 10 microamps severely reduced cell growth and caused protein damage. This suggests that the type of electrical current matters significantly for biological effects.

Why This Matters

This 1977 study provides crucial insight into how different types of electrical currents affect human cells at the most fundamental level. The finding that DC current caused severe growth reduction while AC pulses showed no effect demonstrates that not all electrical exposures are created equal. What makes this particularly relevant today is that many modern EMF sources produce complex waveforms that can include DC components or create DC-like effects in biological tissues. The study used currents in the microamp range, which are comparable to what your body might experience from certain EMF exposures in daily life. While this was an isolated cell study, bone marrow cells are critical for immune function and blood cell production, making any disruption potentially significant for overall health.

Exposure Information

Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study.

Cite This Study
Unknown (1977). GROWTH OF HUMAN BONE MARROW CELLS IN AGAR CULTURE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ELECTRICAL CURRENTS.
Show BibTeX
@article{growth_of_human_bone_marrow_cells_in_agar_culture_under_the_influence_of_electri_g5392,
  author = {Unknown},
  title = {GROWTH OF HUMAN BONE MARROW CELLS IN AGAR CULTURE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ELECTRICAL CURRENTS},
  year = {1977},
  
  
}

Quick Questions About This Study

Yes, this study found that 10 microamp DC current caused severe growth reduction in human bone marrow cell cultures and led to protein electrophoresis damage within the culture medium.
No, symmetrical AC impulse currents showed no effect on bone marrow cell growth in this study, even when tested at various frequencies and pulse widths.
The researchers tested AC currents at 8 Hz and 80 Hz repetition frequencies, with pulse widths of 5 microseconds and 2.4 milliseconds using 12-volt amplitudes.
The bone marrow cell cultures were placed under electrical influence for 7 days in a fully humidified incubator before researchers counted the resulting cell clusters.
Platinum electrodes were chosen because they're chemically inert and won't contaminate the cell culture, allowing researchers to study pure electrical effects on bone marrow growth.