Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2016 Dec 15;4(4):548-550.
doi: 10.3889/oamjms.2016.102. Epub 2016 Sep 24.

Short-term Exposure to 50-Hz Electromagnetic Field and Alterations in NQO1 and NQO2 Expression in MCF-7 Cells

Hamideh Mahmoudinasab  1 , Mostafa Saadat  1
Affiliations

Short-term Exposure to 50-Hz Electromagnetic Field and Alterations in NQO1 and NQO2 Expression in MCF-7 Cells

Hamideh Mahmoudinasab et al. Open Access Maced J Med Sci. .

Abstract

Aim: Extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields (ELF-EMFs) have some genotoxic effects and it may alter the mRNA levels of antioxidant genes. The NAD(P)H: quinone oxidoreductase-1 (NQO1) and NQO2 are ubiquitously expressed. Considering that there is no published data on the effect(s) of ELF-EMF (50-Hz) exposure and expression levels of NQO1 and NQO2 in the human MCF-7 cells, the present study was carried out.

Methods: The ELF-EMF (0.25 and 0.50 mT) exposure patterns were: 5 min field-on/5 min filed-off, 15 min field-on/15 min field-off, and 30 min field-on continuously. In all exposure conditions, total exposure time were 30 minutes. The RNA extraction was done at two times; immediately post exposure and two hours post exposure. The effect of ELF-EMF on gene expression was assessed by real-time PCR.

Results: The NQO1 mRNA level (at 0h) decreased in the cells exposed to 5 min field-on/5 min filed-off condition at 0.25 mT EMF when compared with the unexposed cells. The NQO2 mRNA level (at 0h and 2h) increased in the cells exposed to 5 min field-on/5 min filed-off condition at 0.50 mT EMF when compared with the unexposed cells.

Conclusions: Alterations in the NQO1 and NQO2 mRNA levels seem at the "5 min field-on/5 min field-off" condition.

Keywords: Electromagnetic field; Gene expression; MCF-7; NQO1; NQO2.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Dominici L, Villarini M, Fatigoni C, et al. Genotoxic hazard evaluation in welders occupationally exposed to extremely low-frequency magnetic fields (ELF-MF) Int J Hygiene Environ Health. 2011;215:68–75. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheh.2011.07.010 . PMid: 21862403. - PubMed
    1. Crumpton MJ, Collins AR. Are environmental electromagnetic fields genotoxic? DNA Repair (Amst) 2004;3:1385–1387. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.dnarep.2004.05.006 . PMid: 15336633. - PubMed
    1. Luukkonen J, Liimatainen A, Juutilainen J, et al. Induction of genomic instability, oxidative processes, and mitochondrial activity by 50-Hz magnetic fields in human SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells. Mutat Res. 2014;760:33–41. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.mrfmmm.2013.12.002 . PMid: 24374227. - PubMed
    1. Kirschenlohr H, Ellis P, Hesketh R, et al. Gene expression profiles in white blood cells of volunteers exposed to a 50-Hz electromagnetic field. Radia Res. 2012;178:138–149. http://dx.doi.org/10.1667/RR2859.1 . PMid: 22856684. - PubMed
    1. Mahmoudinasab H, Sanie-Jahromi F, Saadat M. Effects of extremely low-frequency electromagnetic field on expression levels of some antioxidant genes in MCF-7 cells. Mol Biol Res Commun. 2016;5:77–85. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources