The Cellular Response Is Determined by a Combination of Different ELF-EMF Exposure Parameters: A

Abstract

The Cellular Response Is Determined by a Combination of Different ELF-EMF Exposure Parameters: A Scope Review López de Mingo I, Rivera González M-X, Maestú Unturbe C. The Cellular Response Is Determined by a Combination of Different ELF-EMF Exposure Parameters: A Scope Review. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2024; 25(10):5074. doi: 10.3390/ijms25105074. Abstract Since the establishment of regulations for exposure to extremely low-frequency (0–300) Hz electromagnetic fields, scientific opinion has prioritised the hypothesis that the most important parameter determining cellular behaviour has been intensity, ignoring the other exposure parameters (frequency, time, mode, waveform). This has been reflected in the methodologies of the in vitro articles published and the reviews in which they are included. A scope review was carried out, grouping a total of 79 articles that met the proposed inclusion criteria and studying the effects of the different experiments on viability, proliferation, apoptosis, oxidative stress and the cell cycle. These results have been divided and classified by frequency, intensity, exposure time and exposure mode (continuous/intermittent). The results obtained for each of the processes according to the exposure parameter used are shown graphically to highlight the importance of a good methodology in experimental development and the search for mechanisms of action that explain the experimental results, considering not only the criterion of intensity. The consequence of this is a more than necessary revision of current exposure protection regulations for the general population based on the reductionist criterion of intensity. Conclusions This review arises from the need to consider each of the parameters of exposure to magnetic fields as an entity capable of producing a determined response in the cell. The importance that has been given to the intensity parameter since the establishment of regulations for the exposure of the general public to low-frequency electromagnetic fields has led to it also being the main parameter in in vitro experiments, considering intensity as the determining parameter for the occurrence of the main cellular effects and placing the “dose effect” as one of the main theories explaining the effects found. We must begin to think of combinations of exposure parameters that act at the cellular level as specific codes that give rise to specific responses. Biology, and more specifically cell biology, entails a set of rules that must be protected as a fundamental right. There must be a commitment on the part of scientific researchers in bioelectromagnetism to develop quality experiments based on rigorous working methodologies and the search for experimental conclusions that contribute to existing knowledge in this field in order to establish models of interaction between magnetic fields and biological systems that allow us to think of magnetic fields not only as a tool for modulating cell behaviour but also as a possible therapeutic application for various fields of medicine such as oncology, neurodegeneration or the healing of wounds and lesions. Open access paper: mdpi.com

AI evidence extraction

Main findings

Scope review of 79 in vitro studies on ELF-EMF (0–300 Hz) reporting effects on viability, proliferation, apoptosis, oxidative stress, and cell cycle, with results classified by frequency, intensity, exposure time, and exposure mode (continuous/intermittent). The authors emphasize that cellular responses appear dependent on combinations of exposure parameters rather than intensity alone and argue this has implications for experimental methodology and for revisiting exposure protection regulations based primarily on intensity.

Outcomes measured

• cell viability
• cell proliferation
• apoptosis
• oxidative stress
• cell cycle

Suggested hubs

• who-icnirp (0.55)
  Discusses exposure protection regulations for the general population for low-frequency EMF and calls for revision beyond intensity-based criteria.

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