Low frequency magnetic fields enhance antitumor immune response against mouse H22 hepatocellular carcinoma

Gradient Rotating Magnetic Fields Impairing F-Actin-Related Gene CCDC150 to Inhibit Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Metastasis by Inactivating TGF-β1/SMAD3 Signaling Pathway

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most aggressive and lethal malignancy in women, with a lack of effective targeted drugs and treatment techniques. Gradient rotating magnetic field (RMF) is a new technology used in oncology physiotherapy, showing promising clinical applications due to its satisfactory biosafety and the abundant mechanical force stimuli it provides. However, its antitumor effects and underlying molecular mechanisms are not yet clear. We designed two sets of gradient RMF devices for cell culture and animal handling. Gradient RMF exposure had a notable impact on the F-actin arrangement of MDA-MB-231, BT-549, and MDA-MB-468 cells, inhibiting cell migration and invasion. A potential cytoskeleton F-actin-associated gene, CCDC150, was found to be enriched in clinical TNBC tumors and cells. CCDC150 negatively correlated with the overall survival rate of TNBC patients. CCDC150 promoted TNBC migration and invasion via activation of the transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1)/SMAD3 signaling pathway in vitro and in vivo. CCDC150 was also identified as a magnetic field response gene, and it was marked down-regulated after gradient RMF exposure. CCDC150 silencing and gradient RMF exposure both suppressed TNBC tumor growth and liver metastasis. Therefore, gradient RMF exposure may be an effective TNBC treatment, and CCDC150 may emerge as a potential target for TNBC therapy.

Glycocalyx transduces membrane leak in brain tumor cells exposed to sharp magnetic pulsing

Mechanisms by which electric (E) or magnetic (B) fields might be harnessed to affect tumor cell behavior remain poorly defined, presenting a barrier to translation. We hypothesized in early studies that the glycocalyx of lung cancer cells might play a role in mediating plasma membrane leak by low-frequency pulsed magnetic fields (Lf-PMF) generated on a low-energy solenoid platform. In testing glioblastoma and neuroblastoma cells known to overexpress glycoproteins rich in modifications by the anionic glycan sialic acid (Sia), exposure of brain tumor cells on the same platform to a pulse train that included a 5 min 50Hz Lf-PMF (dB/dt ∼ 2 T/s at 10 ms pulse widths) induced a very modest but significant protease leak above that of control nonexposed cells (with modest but significant reductions in long-term tumor cell viability after the 5 min exposure). Using a markedly higher dB/dt system (80 T/s pulses, 70 μs pulse-width at 5.9 cm from a MagVenture coil source) induced markedly greater leak by the same cells, and eliminating Sia by treating cells with AUS sialidase immediately preexposure abrogated the effect entirely in SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells, and partially in T98G glioblastoma cells. The system demonstrated significant leak (including inward leak of propidium iodide), with reduced leak at lower dB/dt in a variety of tumor cells. The ability to abrogate Lf-PMF protease leak by pretreatment with sialidase in SH-SY5Y brain tumor cells or with heparin lyase in A549 lung tumor cells indicated the importance of heavy Sia or heparan sulfate glycosaminoglycan glycocalyx modifications as dominant glycan species mediating Lf-PMF membrane leak in respective tumor cells. This "first-physical" Lf-PMF tumor glycocalyx event, with downstream cell stress, may represent a critical and "tunable" transduction mechanism that depends on characteristic anionic glycans overexpressed by distinct malignant tumors.

Spinning magnetic field patterns that cause oncolysis by oxidative stress in glioma cells

Raising reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in cancer cells to cause macromolecular damage and cell death is a promising anticancer treatment strategy. Observations that electromagnetic fields (EMF) elevate intracellular ROS and cause cancer cell death, have led us to develop a new portable wearable EMF device that generates spinning oscillating magnetic fields (sOMF) to selectively kill cancer cells while sparing normal cells in vitro and to shrink GBM tumors in vivo through a novel mechanism. Here, we characterized the precise configurations and timings of sOMF stimulation that produce cytotoxicity due to a critical rise in superoxide in two types of human glioma cells. We also found that the antioxidant Trolox reverses the cytotoxic effect of sOMF on glioma cells indicating that ROS play a causal role in producing the effect. Our findings clarify the link between the physics of magnetic stimulation and its mechanism of anticancer action, facilitating the development of a potential new safe noninvasive device-based treatment for GBM and other gliomas.

Mitochondrial Metabolism: A New Dimension of Personalized Oncology

Energy is needed by cancer cells to stay alive and communicate with their surroundings. The primary organelles for cellular metabolism and energy synthesis are mitochondria. Researchers recently proved that cancer cells can steal immune cells' mitochondria using nanoscale tubes. This finding demonstrates the dependence of cancer cells on normal cells for their living and function. It also denotes the importance of mitochondria in cancer cells' biology. Emerging evidence has demonstrated how mitochondria are essential for cancer cells to survive in the harsh tumor microenvironments, evade the immune system, obtain more aggressive features, and resist treatments. For instance, functional mitochondria can improve cancer resistance against radiotherapy by scavenging the released reactive oxygen species. Therefore, targeting mitochondria can potentially enhance oncological outcomes, according to this notion. The tumors' responses to anticancer treatments vary, ranging from a complete response to even cancer progression during treatment. Therefore, personalized cancer treatment is of crucial importance. So far, personalized cancer treatment has been based on genomic analysis. Evidence shows that tumors with high mitochondrial content are more resistant to treatment. This paper illustrates how mitochondrial metabolism can participate in cancer resistance to chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and radiotherapy. Pretreatment evaluation of mitochondrial metabolism can provide additional information to genomic analysis and can help to improve personalized oncological treatments. This article outlines the importance of mitochondrial metabolism in cancer biology and personalized treatments.

Biological effects of rotating magnetic field: A review from 1969 to 2021

As one of the common variable magnetic fields, rotating magnetic field (RMF) plays a crucial role in modern human society. The biological effects of RMF have been studied for over half a century, and various results have been discovered. Several reports have shown that RMF can inhibit the growth of various types of cancer cells in vitro and in vivo and improve clinical symptoms of patients with advanced cancer. It can also affect endogenous opioid systems and rhythm in central nerve systems, promote nerve regeneration and regulate neural electrophysiological activity in the human brain. In addition, RMF can influence the growth and metabolic activity of some microorganisms, alter the properties of fermentation products, inhibit the growth of some harmful bacteria and increase the susceptibility of antibiotic-resistant bacteria to common antibiotics. Besides, there are other biological effects of RMF on blood, bone, prenatal exposure, enzyme activity, immune function, aging, parasite, endocrine, wound healing, and plants. These discoveries demonstrate that RMF have great application potential in health care, medical treatment, fermentation engineering, and even agriculture. However, in some cases like pregnancy, RMF exposure may need to be avoided. Finally, the specific mechanisms of RMF's biological effects remain unrevealed, despite various hypotheses and theories. It does not prevent us from using it for our good.

Intermittent F-actin Perturbations by Magnetic Fields Inhibit Breast Cancer Metastasis

F-actin (filamentous actin) has been shown to be sensitive to mechanical stimuli and play critical roles in cell attachment, migration, and cancer metastasis, but there are very limited ways to perturb F-actin dynamics with low cell toxicity. Magnetic field is a noninvasive and reversible physical tool that can easily penetrate cells and human bodies. Here, we show that 0.1/0.4-T 4.2-Hz moderate-intensity low-frequency rotating magnetic field-induced electric field could directly decrease F-actin formation in vitro and in vivo, which results in decreased breast cancer cell migration, invasion, and attachment. Moreover, low-frequency rotating magnetic fields generated significantly different effects on F-actin in breast cancer vs. noncancerous cells, including F-actin number and their recovery after magnetic field retrieval. Using an intermittent treatment modality, low-frequency rotating magnetic fields could significantly reduce mouse breast cancer metastasis, prolong mouse survival by 31.5 to 46.0% (P < 0.0001), and improve their overall physical condition. Therefore, our work demonstrates that low-frequency rotating magnetic fields not only can be used as a research tool to perturb F-actin but also can inhibit breast cancer metastasis through F-actin modulation while having minimum effects on normal cells, which reveals their potential to be developed as temporal-controlled, noninvasive, and high-penetration physical treatments for metastatic cancer.

Method for noninvasive whole-body stimulation with spinning oscillating magnetic fields and its safety in mice

We recently reported shrinkage of untreatable recurrent glioblastoma (GBM) in an end-stage patient using noninvasive brain stimulation with a spinning oscillating magnetic field (sOMF)-generating device called the Oncomagnetic device. Our in vitro experiments demonstrated selective cancer cell death while sparing normal cells by sOMF-induced increase in intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels due to magnetic perturbation of mitochondrial electron transport. Here, we describe the results of an in vivo study assessing the toxicity of chronic sOMF stimulation in mice using a newly constructed apparatus comprised of the sOMF-generating active components of the Oncomagnetic device. We chronically stimulated 10 normal 60-day old female C57BL/6 mice in their housing cages for 2 h 3 times a day, as in the patient treatment protocol, over 4 months. We also studied the effects of 2-h acute sOMF stimulation. Our observations and those of blinded independent veterinary staff observers, indicated no significant adverse effects of chronic or acute sOMF stimulation on the health, behavior, electrocardiographic and electroencephalographic activities, hematologic profile, and brain and other tissue and organ morphology of treated mice compared to age-matched untreated control mice. These findings suggest that short- and long-term therapies with the Oncomagnetic device are safe and well tolerated.

Progressive Study on the Non-thermal Effects of Magnetic Field Therapy in Oncology

Cancer is one of the most common causes of death worldwide. Although the existing therapies have made great progress and significantly improved the prognosis of patients, it is undeniable that these treatment measures still cause some serious side effects. In this context, a new treatment method is needed to address these shortcomings. In recent years, the magnetic fields have been proposed as a novel treatment method with the advantages of less side effects, high efficiency, wide applications, and low costs without forming scars. Previous studies reported that static magnetic fields (SMFs) and low-frequency magnetic fields (LF-MFs, frequency below 300 Hz) exert anti-tumor function, independent of thermal effects. Magnetic fields (MFs) could inhibit cell growth and proliferation; induce cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, autophagy, and differentiation; regulate the immune system; and suppress angiogenesis and metastasis via various signaling pathways. In addition, they are effective in combination therapies: MFs not only promote the absorption of chemotherapy drugs by producing small holes on the surface of cell membrane but also enhance the inhibitory effects by regulating apoptosis and cell cycle related proteins. At present, MFs can be used as drug delivery systems to target magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) to tumors. This review aims to summarize and analyze the current knowledge of the pre-clinical studies of anti-tumor effects and their underlying mechanisms and discuss the prospects of the application of MF therapy in cancer prevention and treatment.

The efficacy and safety of low-frequency rotating static magnetic field therapy combined with chemotherapy on advanced lung cancer patients: a randomized, double-blinded, controlled clinical trial

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of magnetic field (MF) therapy by a randomized, double-blinded, controlled clinical trial.Materials and methods: From February 2016 to August 2019, patients with advanced lung cancer who conformed to inclusion criteria were enrolled in this study. Patients were assigned into MF therapy group (MF group, receiving both MF therapy and chemotherapy) and control group (CON group, receiving sham MF therapy and chemotherapy) randomly. The treatment course was 21 days and 2 hours per day. Changes of life quality assessment scales, objective response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR) were analyzed as primary end points. The secondary end points were progression-free survival (PFS), change of blood cytokine concentrations and safety. This study has been registered on Clinicaltrials.gov (ID: NCT02701231).Results: 77 patients were enrolled and 60 finished the study. Comparing to CON group, more patients in MF group (66.7% vs 25.9%) were experiencing life quality improvement on day 21. Besides, MF group patients had higher concentrations of IP-10 and GM-CSF, and lower concentration of sTREM-1 in plasma. However, the two groups were having similar ORR, DCR and PFS after treatment. Moreover, MF treatment did not increase adverse events in MF group.Conclusions: MF therapy could improve life quality and modulate blood cytokine concentration in advanced lung cancer patients. Hence, it might be applied as an adjuvant therapy along with chemotherapy.

Extremely Low Frequency Electromagnetic Fields Decrease Serum Levels of Interleukin-17, Transforming Growth Factor-β and Downregulate Foxp3 Expression in the Spleen

The study aimed to determine effect of extremely low frequency (50 Hz) electromagnetic fields (ELF-EMFs) exposure on serum levels of interleukin-17 (IL-17) and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) as signature cytokines of Th17 and regulatory T (Treg) cells, respectively. Retinoid-related orphan receptor γT and transcription factor forkhead box P3 (Foxp3) expression levels as lineage defining of Th17 and Treg cells were also assessed in the spleen and thymus. Eighty male rats were separated into 4 exposed groups (1, 100, 500, and 2,000 μT magnetic flux intensities) and a control. All rats were immunized by human serum albumin after 1 month of the exposure and the experiment was continued in the same manner for 1 month more. The results demonstrated that the weight of thymuses was significantly declined at intensity of 2,000 μT. At the preimmunization phase, the serum levels of IL-17 and TGF-β were significantly decreased at intensities of 1 and 100 μT. The expression of Foxp3 was also downregulated at intensities of 1 and 100 μT. In conclusion, low intensities of ELF-EMF may reduce the serum levels of IL-17 and TGF-β and downregulate the expression of Foxp3 in spleen.

Effects of Various Densities of 50 Hz Electromagnetic Field on Serum IL-9, IL-10, and TNF-α Levels

Background:

Extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields (ELF-EMFs) are abundantly produced in modern societies. In recent years, interest in the possible effects of ELF-EMFs on the immune system has progressively increased.

Objective:

To examine the effects of ELF-EMFs with magnetic flux densities of 1, 100, 500, and 2000 µT on the serum levels of interleukin (IL)-9, IL-10, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α).

Methods:

80 adult male rats were exposed to ELF-EMFs at a frequency of 50 Hz for 2 h/day for 60 days. The serum cytokines were measured at two phases of pre- and post-stimulation of the immune system by human serum albumin (HSA).

Results:

Serum levels of IL-9 and TNF-α, as pro-inflammatory cytokines, were decreased due to 50 Hz EMFs exposure compared with the controls in the pre- and post-stimulation phases. On the contrary, exposures to 1 and 100 µT 50 Hz EMFs increased the levels of antiinflammatory cytokine, and IL-10 only in the pre-stimulation phase. In the post-stimulation phase, the mean level of serum IL-10 was not changed in the experimental groups.

Conclusion:

The magnetic flux densities of 1 and 100 µT 50 Hz EMFs had more immunological effects than EMFs with higher densities. Exposure to 50 Hz EMFs may activate anti-inflammatory effects in rats, by down-modulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-9 and TNF-α) and induction of the anti-inflammatory cytokine (IL-10).

WITHDRAWN: An extremely low frequency-weak magnetic field can induce alterations in a biological system: A case study in chick embryo development

This article has been retracted: please see Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal (https://www.elsevier.com/about/our-business/policies/article-withdrawal). These articles are retracted at the request of the authors. The joint Editors-in-Chief agree with this decision.

The antitumor effect of static and extremely low frequency magnetic fields against nephroblastoma and neuroblastoma

Certain magnetic fields (MF) have potential therapeutic antitumor effect whereas the underlying mechanism remains undefined. In this study, a well-characterized MF was applied to two common childhood malignancies, nephroblastoma and neuroblastoma. This MF has a time-averaged total intensity of 5.1 militesla (mT), and was generated as a superimposition of a static and an extremely low frequency (ELF) MF in 50 Hertz (Hz). In nephroblastoma and neuroblastoma cell lines including G401, CHLA255, and N2a, after MF exposure of 2 h per day, the cell viability decreased significantly after 2 days. After 3 days, inhibition rates of 17-22% were achieved in these cell lines. Furthermore, the inhibition rate was positively associated with exposure time. On the other hand, when using static MF only while maintaining the same time-averaged intensity of 5.1 mT, the inhibition rate was decreased. Thus, both time and combination of ELF field were positively associated with the inhibitory effect of this MF. Exposure to the field decreased cell proliferation and induced apoptosis. Combinational use of MF together with chemotherapeutics cisplatin (DDP) was performed in both in vitro and in vivo experiments. In cell lines, combinational treatment further increased the inhibition rate compared with single use of either DDP or MF. In G401 nephroblastoma tumor model in nude mice, combination of MF and DDP resulted in significant decrease of tumor mass, and the side effect was limited in mild liver injury. MF exposure by itself did not hamper liver or kidney functions. In summary, the antitumor effect of an established MF against neuroblastoma and nephroblastoma is reported, and this field has the potential to be used in combination with DDP to achieve increased efficacy and reduce side effects in these two childhood malignancies. Bioelectromagnetics. 39:375-385, 2018. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Low Frequency Magnetic Fields Induce Autophagy-associated Cell Death in Lung Cancer through miR-486-mediated Inhibition of Akt/mTOR Signaling Pathway

Low frequency magnetic fields (LF-MFs) can affect cell proliferation in a cell-type and intensity-dependent way. Previous study has reported the anti-tumor effect of LF-MFs in lung cancers. Our previous study also optimized the intensity and duration of LF-MFs to effectively inhibit the proliferation of lung cancer cells. However, the anti-tumor mechanism of LF-MFs remains unclear, which limit the clinical application of LF-MFs in anti-tumor therapy. Here, in a well-established Lewis Lung Cancer (LLC) mouse model, we found that LF-MFs inhibit tumor growth and induce an autophagic cell death in lung cancer. We also found that LF-MFs could up-regulate the expression level of miR-486, which was involved in LF-MFs activated cell autophagy. Furthermore, we found B-cell adaptor for phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (BCAP) is a direct target of miR-486. miR-486 inhibit AKT/mTOR signaling through inhibiting expression of BCAP. Moreover, a decreased expression of miR-486 and an increased expression of BCAP were found in tumor tissues of lung cancer patients. Taken together, this study proved that LF-MFs can inhibit lung cancers through miR-486 induced autophagic cell death, which suggest a clinical application of LF-MFs in cancer treatment.

LF-MF inhibits iron metabolism and suppresses lung cancer through activation of P53-miR-34a-E2F1/E2F3 pathway

Our previous studies showed that low frequency magnetic fields (LF-MF) suppressed tumor growth and influenced the function of immune system. Nevertheless the mechanisms behind the effect of LF-MF still remain to be elucidated. In this study, Tumor- bearing mice subcutaneously inoculated with Lewis lung cancer cells were exposed to a LF-MF (0.4T, 7.5 Hz) for 35 days and Survival rate, tumor growth and the tumor markers were measured. Results showed that tumor growth was obviously inhibited with a prolonged survival of tumor- bearing mice by LF-MF exposure. In vitro experiments, LF-MF was found to induce cell growth arrest, cell senescence and inhibit iron metabolism of lung cancer cells. Moreover, LF-MF stabilized p53 protein via inhibiting cell iron metabolism and the stabilized p53 protein enhanced miR-34a transcription. Furthermore, increased expression of miR-34a induced cell proliferation inhibition, cell cycle arrest and cell senescence of lung cancer cells by targeting E2F1/E2F3. We also detected the relevant indicator in tumor tissue such as the iron content, the level of miR-34a and related protein, corresponding results were obtained. Taken together, these observations imply that LF-MF suppressed lung cancer via inhibiting cell iron metabolism, stabilizing p53 protein and activation P53- miR-34a-E2F1/E2F3 pathway.

Extremely low frequency magnetic fields regulate differentiation of regulatory T cells: Potential role for ROS-mediated inhibition on AKT

Our previous studies showed that extremely low frequency magnetic fields (ELF-MFs) inhibited tumor growth and change proportion of splenic regulatory T cells (Treg cells). Here, we focus on the effect of ELF-MFs on lung metastatic melanoma mouse model and the regulatory mechanism of ELF-MFs on the differentiation of Treg cells. Tumor-bearing mice were exposed to sham ELF-MFs and ELF-MFs (0.4 T, 7.5 Hz) 2 h/day for 27 days. Metastatic tumor burden of lung was significantly decreased after ELF-MF treatment. Compared to the control group, expressions of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP2, MMP9) and forkhead box P3 (Foxp3) in lung nodules significantly decreased in the ELF-MF group. Moreover, in vitro, after stimulated with anti-CD3, anti-CD28 antibodies and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) and treated with ELF-MFs for 2 h, expression of Foxp3 in total T cells was significantly decreased. Differentiation rate of Treg cells was inhibited from 32.0% to 22.1% by ELF-MFs. Furthermore, reactive oxygen species (ROS) was increased and phospho-serine/threonine protein kinase (p-AKT) was inhibited in both T cells and Jurkat cells. ROS scavenger N-acetyl-l-cysteine reversed inhibition of AKT pathway and expression of Foxp3 from 18.6% to 26.6% in T cells. Taken together, our data show that ELF-MF exposure promoted the inhibitory effect of ROS on AKT pathway and decreased Foxp3 expression, which provides an explanation for why ELF-MF exposure can inhibit differentiation of Treg cells and enhance antitumor effect in metastatic melanoma mouse model.

Using medaka embryos as a model system to study biological effects of the electromagnetic fields on development and behavior

The electromagnetic fields (EMFs) of anthropogenic origin are ubiquitous in our environments. The health hazard of extremely low frequency and radiofrequency EMFs has been investigated for decades, but evidence remains inconclusive, and animal studies are urgently needed to resolve the controversies regarding developmental toxicity of EMFs. Furthermore, as undersea cables and technological devices are increasingly used, the lack of information regarding the health risk of EMFs to aquatic organisms needs to be addressed. Medaka embryos (Oryzias latipes) have been a useful tool to study developmental toxicity in vivo due to their optical transparency. Here we explored the feasibility of using medaka embryos as a model system to study biological effects of EMFs on development. We also used a white preference test to investigate behavioral consequences of the EMF developmental toxicity. Newly fertilized embryos were randomly assigned to four groups that were exposed to an EMF with 3.2kHz at the intensity of 0.12, 15, 25, or 60µT. The group exposed to the background 0.12µT served as the control. The embryos were exposed continually until hatch. They were observed daily, and the images were recorded for analysis of several developmental endpoints. Four days after hatching, the hatchlings were tested with the white preference test for their anxiety-like behavior. The results showed that embryos exposed to all three levels of the EMF developed significantly faster. The endpoints affected included the number of somites, eye width and length, eye pigmentation density, midbrain width, head growth, and the day to hatch. In addition, the group exposed to the EMF at 60µT exhibited significantly higher levels of anxiety-like behavior than the other groups did. In conclusion, the EMF tested in this study accelerated embryonic development and heightened anxiety-like behavior. Our results also demonstrate that the medaka embryo is a sensitive and cost-efficient in vivo model system to study developmental toxicity of EMFs.