Direct current electrical fields induce apoptosis in oral mucosa cancer cells by NADPH oxidase-derived reactive oxygen species
Wartenberg M, Wirtz N, Grob A, Niedermeier W, Hescheler J, Peters SC, Sauer H · 2008
View Original AbstractElectric fields as low as 2 V/m killed oral cancer cells by generating free radicals, showing EMFs can trigger significant cellular responses.
Plain English Summary
German researchers exposed oral cancer cells to weak electric fields (2-16 volts per meter) for 24 hours. The fields triggered cancer cell death by generating harmful molecules called reactive oxygen species that damaged the cells' internal systems, suggesting potential therapeutic applications for treating cancer.
Why This Matters
This research represents an intriguing finding in the complex relationship between electromagnetic fields and cellular health. The study demonstrates that relatively weak electric fields - comparable to what you might encounter near certain electrical equipment - can trigger programmed cell death in cancer cells through oxidative stress mechanisms. What makes this particularly noteworthy is that the exposure levels (2-16 V/m) are within ranges that humans can experience in everyday environments near power lines or electrical appliances. However, we must be cautious about extrapolating these laboratory results to real-world scenarios. While the cancer-killing effect observed here might seem beneficial, the same oxidative stress mechanisms could potentially affect healthy cells differently. The reality is that EMF effects are highly context-dependent - what happens to isolated cancer cells in a petri dish may not translate directly to effects in living tissue.
Exposure Details
- Electric Field
- 2 and 16 V/m
- Exposure Duration
- 24 h
Exposure Context
This study used 2 and 16 V/m for electric fields:
- 6.7x above the Building Biology guideline of 0.3 V/m
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.
Study Details
In the present study the mechanisms of apoptosis of oral mucosa cancer cells in response to electromagnetic fields was investigated.
Direct current (DC) electrical fields with field strengths between 2 and 16 V/m, applied for 24 h to...
Show BibTeX
@article{m_2008_direct_current_electrical_fields_478,
author = {Wartenberg M and Wirtz N and Grob A and Niedermeier W and Hescheler J and Peters SC and Sauer H},
title = {Direct current electrical fields induce apoptosis in oral mucosa cancer cells by NADPH oxidase-derived reactive oxygen species},
year = {2008},
doi = {10.1002/bem.20361},
url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/bem.20361},
}