Dynamic changes in cytoskeleton proteins of olfactory ensheathing cells induced by radiofrequency electromagnetic fields.
Rosaria Grasso, Rosalia Pellitteri, Santi A Caravella, Francesco Musumeci, Giuseppina Raciti, Agata Scordino, Giovanni Sposito, Antonio Triglia, Agata Campisi
Author Information
Rosaria Grasso: Department of Physics and Astronomy 'Ettore Majorana', University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy rosaria.grasso@ct.infn.it campisag@unict.it. ORCID
Rosalia Pellitteri: Institute for Biomedical Research and Innovation, Italian National Research Council, 95126 Catania, Italy. ORCID
Santi A Caravella: Temix Communication Engineering s.r.l., 95039 Trecastagni, Italy.
Francesco Musumeci: Department of Physics and Astronomy 'Ettore Majorana', University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy. ORCID
Giuseppina Raciti: Department of Drug Sciences, Section of Biochemistry, University of Catania, 95125 Catania, Italy.
Agata Scordino: Department of Physics and Astronomy 'Ettore Majorana', University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy. ORCID
Giovanni Sposito: Department of Drug Sciences, Section of Biochemistry, University of Catania, 95125 Catania, Italy. ORCID
Antonio Triglia: Department of Physics and Astronomy 'Ettore Majorana', University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy. ORCID
Agata Campisi: Department of Drug Sciences, Section of Biochemistry, University of Catania, 95125 Catania, Italy rosaria.grasso@ct.infn.it campisag@unict.it. ORCID
Several evidences have suggested the ability of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields to influence biological systems, even if the action mechanisms are not well understood. There are few data on the effect of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields on self-renewal of neural progenitor cells. A particular glial type that shows characteristics of stem cells is olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs). Herein, we assessed the non-thermal effects induced on OECs through radiofrequency electromagnetic fields changing the envelope of the electromagnetic wave. Primary OEC cultures were exposed to continuous or amplitude-modulated 900 MHz electromagnetic fields, in the far-field condition and at different exposure times (10, 15, 20 min). The expression of OEC markers (S-100 and nestin), cytoskeletal proteins (GFAP and vimentin), apoptotic pathway activation by caspase-3 cleavage and cell viability were evaluated. Our results highlight that 20 min of exposure to continuous or amplitude-modulated 900 MHz electromagnetic fields induced a different and significant decrease in cell viability. In addition, according to the electromagnetic field waveform, diverse dynamic changes in the expression of the analysed markers in OECs and activation of the apoptotic pathway were observed. The data suggest that radiofrequency electromagnetic fields might play different and important roles in the self-renewal of OEC stem cells, which are involved in nervous system repair.
