Abstract

There is a growing concern if the power-line frequency (50/60 Hz) magnetic field (termed in this paper ELF-MF) increases cancer risks. Since one of the major causes of cancer is cellular oxidative stress, whether the ELF-MF increases the oxidative stress is a central problem in the studies on the biological effect of the ELF-MF. Here, we have investigated the effect of 50-Hz sinusoidal magnetic field on the production of O₂^-, the expression of heat shock protein (HSP) 70 and the mitochondrial membrane potential in cell line macrophage RAW264 cells. Macrophages were exposed to or not exposed to 0.1-mT or 0.5-mT, 50-Hz sinusoidal magnetic field and were subjected to (1) assay for O₂^- (2) analysis of the expression of HSP70, and (3) measurement of the mitochondrial membrane potential with a fluorescent indicator. The 50-Hz magnetic field enhanced production of O₂^- and the expression of HSP70, both of which are consistent with previous studies. The exposure to 50-Hz magnetic field decreased mitochondrial membrane potential indicating the diminished activity of mitochondria. The uncoupler of mitochondrial function, carbonyl cyanide p-trifluoromethoxyphenylhydrazone diminished the membrane potential, as expected. On the other hand, it increased the production of O₂^-. The results collectively suggest that the 50-Hz magnetic field diminished the mitochondrial membrane potential, which led to the increase in the production of O₂^- and the expression of HSP70 protein.

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