title: A 60-Hz sinusoidal magnetic field induces apoptosis of prostate cancer cells through reactive oxygen species.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the effects of power frequency magnetic fields (MF) on cell growth in prostate cancer, DU145, PC3, and LNCaP cells were examined in vitro.
  
  
  METHODS
  The cells were exposed to various intensities and durations of 60-Hz sinusoidal MF in combination with various serum concentrations in the media. To analyze MF effects on cell growth, cell counting, trypan blue exclusion assay, Western blot analysis, flow cytometry, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), semi-quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), fluorescence microscopy, and spectrofluorometry were used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  MF exposure induced significant cell growth inhibition and apoptosis in an intensity- and time-dependent manner, in which cell cycle arrest, cleaved Caspase-3, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) increased. Pretreatment with a Caspase-3 inhibitor or antioxidant, N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), significantly attenuated MF-induced cell growth inhibition and cell death. Media replacement experiments failed to show any notable change in the MF effects.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results demonstrate 60-Hz sinusoidal MF-activated cell growth inhibition of prostate cancer in vitro. Apoptosis together with cell cycle arrest were the dominant causes of the MF-elicited cell growth inhibition, mediated by MF-induced ROS. These results suggest that a possibility of using 60-Hz MF in radiation therapy of prostate cancer could usefully be investigated.
authors.affiliation: Seoul Center, Korea Basic Science Institute, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Eui Kwan
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Koh
authors.forename: Byung-Kyu
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Ryu
authors.forename: Dong-Young
authors.initials: DY
authors.lastname: Jeong
authors.forename: Iel-Soo
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Bang
authors.forename: Myung Hee
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Nam
authors.forename: Kwon-Seok
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Chae
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis / Q000528:radiation effects*; D019898:Autocrine Communication / Q000528:radiation effects; D002453:Cell Cycle / Q000528:radiation effects; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000528:radiation effects; D006801:Humans; D008280:Magnetics; D008297:Male; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species