P53 status, and G2/M cell cycle arrest - are determining factors in cell-death induction mediated by ELF-EMF in glioblastoma

Q: What impact does ELF-EMF have on glioblastoma cell viability and apoptosis?

ELF-EMF induces apoptosis in U87 cells much more than in U251 and alters cell-cycle progression, indicating a stronger anti-tumor effect in the U87 line.

Q: How does ELF-EMF change the cell-cycle distribution in U87 and U251 cells?

In U87, ELF-EMF increases the G2/M cell population; in U251, it increases the S phase population. These results are presented as normalized to sham exposure.

Q: Which molecular changes are linked to ELF-EMF–mediated apoptosis?

Expression of P53, P21, and MDM2 increased, while CCNB1 decreased in U87; additionally, MCM6 decreased in U251. The authors relate P53 involvement, G2/M arrest, and cell size increase to apoptosis induction.

Sep 24, 2026

Uploaded by Jake

Glioblastoma has an average survival of 12–15 months, making new low-side-effect therapies essential, particularly for treatment-resistant cases. This study evaluates the antitumor activity of extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields (ELF-EMF) on U87 and U251 glioblastoma cell lines. Flow cytometry assessed viability/apoptosis and cell-cycle phase distribution, while TEM measured cell size and real-time PCR quantified key cell-cycle and apoptosis gene expression. ELF-EMF strongly induced apoptosis in U87 versus U251, increased G2/M in U87 and S phase in U251, alongside a P53/P21 rise, MDM2 increase, and CCNB1 reduction.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages11

Reading Time28 min

AccessFree to download

Materials and methods

Cell culture

[www. nature.com/scientificreports](www. nature.com/scientificreports) OPEN P53 status, and G2/M cell cycle arrest, are determining factors in cell‑death induction mediated by ELF‑EMF in glioblastoma Romina Mehdizadeh2, Alireza Madjid Ansari1, Flora Forouzesh2, Fatemeh Shahriari4, Seyed Peyman Shariatpanahi3, Ali Salaritabar1 & Mohammad Amin Javidi1,2* The average survival of patients with glioblastoma is 12–15 months. Therefore, finding a new treatment method is important, especially in cases that show resistance to treatment. Extremely low‑ frequency electromagnetic fields (ELF‑EMF) have characteristics and capabilities that can be proposed as a new cancer treatment method with low side effects. This research examines the antitumor effect of ELF‑EMF on U87 and U251 glioblastoma cell lines. Flowcytometry determined the viability/ apoptosis and distribution of cells in different phases ofthe cell cycle. The size of cells was assessed byTEM. Important cell cycle regulation genes mRNA expression levels were investigated by real‑time PCR. ELF‑EMF induced apoptosis in U87cells much more than U251 (15% against 2.43%) and increased G2/M cell population in U87 (2.56%, p value < 0.05), and S phase in U251 (2.4%) (data are normalized to their sham exposure). The size of U87 cells increased significantly after ELF‑EMF exposure (overexpressing P53 in U251 cells increased the apoptosis induction by ELF‑EMF). The expression level of P53, P21, and MDM2 increased and CCNB1 decreased in U87. Among the studied genes, MCM6 expression decreased in U251. Increasing expression of P53, P21 and decreasing CCNB1, induction of cell G2/M cycle arrest, and consequently increase in the cell size can be suggested as one of the main mechanisms of apoptosis induction by ELF‑EMF; furthermore, our results demonstrate the possible footprint of P53 in the apoptosis induction by ELF‑EMF, as U87 carry the wild type of P53 and U251 has the mutated form of this gene. Brain tumors are among the most fatal form of cancers1,2. There are different categories applied to these tumors according to the histological characteristics, cellular origin (primary brain tumors and secondary brain tumors 3), shape, and related tissue4. WHO divides brain tumors into two main categories; benign tumors and malignant tumors. Benign tumors which may called low-grade (grade I and II) are non-cancerous, non-aggressive, and have a slow progression rate; whereas, malignant tumors are considered as high-grade (grade III and IV), either the primary ones (originated from the brain tissue) or secondary ones (spread to the brain from elsewhere due to the metastasis) are aggressive, have a rapid progression rate, and tend to metastasis to other organs in the body 1. According to the WHO classification with the concept of histological features, the majority of primary brain tumors belong to the neuroepithelial, such as Gliomas5. Gliomas are the most common malignant tumors of the central nervous system (CNS) that arise from the glial cells. Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) belongs to the grade IV gliomas and is the most aggressive type of brain tumor. Unfortunately, the GBM is one of the most poor-prognosis cancers, even with the advances and aid of the treatments approaches like surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy6. Electromagnetic fields (EMFs) are a group of radiations that can be produced by electrical currents in humanmade devices or natural sources. EMFs are divided into two main groups: non-ionizing and ionizing. EMFs are also categorized based on their frequency or wavelength (the radiation energy is directly proportional to the 1Department of Integrative Oncology, Breast Cancer Research Center, Motamed Cancer Institute, ACECR, Tehran, Iran. 2Department of Genetics, Faculty of Advanced Science and Technology, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran. 3Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran. 4Department of Molec

FAQs

What impact does ELF-EMF have on glioblastoma cell viability and apoptosis?

ELF-EMF induces apoptosis in U87 cells much more than in U251 and alters cell-cycle progression, indicating a stronger anti-tumor effect in the U87 line.

How does ELF-EMF change the cell-cycle distribution in U87 and U251 cells?

In U87, ELF-EMF increases the G2/M cell population; in U251, it increases the S phase population. These results are presented as normalized to sham exposure.

Which molecular changes are linked to ELF-EMF–mediated apoptosis?

Expression of P53, P21, and MDM2 increased, while CCNB1 decreased in U87; additionally, MCM6 decreased in U251. The authors relate P53 involvement, G2/M arrest, and cell size increase to apoptosis induction.

Sep 24, 2026

Uploaded by Jake