Stimulation of Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate production in leukemia and lymphoma cells exposed to low energy electromagnetic fields

Extremely low frequency electromagnetic field exposure and restraint stress induce changes on the brain lipid profile of Wistar rats

Background

Exposure to electromagnetic fields can affect human health, damaging tissues and cell homeostasis. Stress modulates neuronal responses and composition of brain lipids. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of chronic extremely low frequency electromagnetic field (ELF-EMF) exposure, restraint stress (RS) or both (RS + ELF-EMF) on lipid profile and lipid peroxidation in Wistar rat brain.

Methods

Twenty-four young male Wistar rats were allocated into four groups: control, RS, ELF-EMF exposure, and RS + ELF-EMF for 21 days. After treatment, rats were euthanized, the blood was obtained for quantitate plasma corticosterone concentration and their brains were dissected in cortex, cerebellum and subcortical structures for cholesterol, triacylglycerols, total free fatty acids, and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) analysis. In addition, fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) were identified by gas chromatography.

Results

Increased values of plasma corticosterone were found in RS and ELF-EMF exposed groups (p < 0.05), this effect was higher in RS + ELF-EMF group (p < 0.05, vs. control group). Chronic ELF-EMF exposure increased total lipids in cerebellum, and total cholesterol in cortex, but decreased polar lipids in cortex. In subcortical structures, increased concentrations of non-esterified fatty acids were observed in RS + ELF-EMF group. FAMEs analysis revealed a decrease of polyunsaturated fatty acids of cerebellum and increases of subcortical structures in the ELF-EMF exposed rats. TBARS concentration in lipids was increased in all treated groups compared to control group, particularly in cortex and cerebellum regions.

Conclusions

These findings suggest that chronic exposure to ELF-EMF is similar to physiological stress, and induce changes on brain lipid profile.

Magnetic fields promote a pro-survival non-capacitative Ca2+ entry via phospholipase C signaling

The ability of magnetic fields (MFs) to promote/increase Ca(2+) influx into cells is widely recognized, but the underlying mechanisms remain obscure. Here we analyze how static MFs of 6 mT modulates thapsigargin-induced Ca(2+) movements in non-excitable U937 monocytes, and how this relates to the anti-apoptotic effect of MFs. Magnetic fields do not affect thapsigargin-induced Ca(2+) mobilization from endoplasmic reticulum, but significantly increase the resulting Ca(2+) influx; this increase requires intracellular signal transduction actors including G protein, phospholipase C, diacylglycerol lipase and nitric oxide synthase, and behaves as a non-capacitative Ca(2+) entry (NCCE), a type of influx with an inherent signaling function, rather than a capacitative Ca(2+) entry (CCE). All treatments abrogating the extra Ca(2+) influx also abrogate the anti-apoptotic effect of MFs, demonstrating that MF-induced NCCE elicits an anti-apoptotic survival pathway.

Immunomodulating action of low intensity millimeter waves on primed neutrophils

Comparative investigation of the susceptibility of intact and primed neutrophils of the NMRI strain mice to low intensity millimeter wave (mm wave) irradiation (41.95 GHz) was performed. The specific absorption rate was 0.45 W/kg. Isolated neutrophils were primed by a chemotactic peptide N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fMLP) at a subthreshold concentration of 10 nM for 20 min, and then the cells were activated by 1 microM fMLP. Production of the reactive oxygen species (ROS) was estimated by the luminol dependent chemiluminescence technique. It was found that the preliminary mm wave irradiation of the resting cells at 20 degrees C did not act on the ROS production induced by the chemotactic peptide. The exposure of the primed cells results in a subsequent increase in the fMLP response. Therefore, the primed neutrophils are susceptible to the mm waves. Specific inhibitors of the protein kinases abolished the mm wave effect on the primed cells. The data indicate that protein kinases actively participate in transduction of the mm wave signal to effector molecules involved in neutrophil respiratory burst.