Effects of a strong pulsed magnetic field on the growth-related gene expression of human bladder cancer BIU-87 cells / 中华物理医学与康复杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To estimate any influence of strong pulsed magnetic fields on the expression of growth-related genes in human bladder cancer BIU-87 cells. Methods Human BIU-87 cells were cultured in vitro and randomly divided into a magnetic field group and a control group. Each group was further divided into 24 h, 48 h and 72 h sub-groups. The magnetic field group cells were exposed to an 8 T magnetic field pulsed at 15 Hz for 2 h every day. The control group cells also placed on the same environment, but not exposed to any strong, pulsed magnetic field. The expression of B cell lymphoma/leukemia gene-2 (Bcl-2) mRNA, Bax mRNA and caspase-3 mRNA was measured with RT-PCR, and flow cytometry was used to evaluate the expression of the Bcl-2, Bax and caspase-3 genes of the tumor cells in vitro. Results The expression of Bax mRNA and protein was significantly higher in the cells exposed to the magnetic field than in the control groups. The expression of Bcl-2 mRNA and protein was significantly less. The expression of caspase-3 mRNA and protein in the two groups showed no significant differences.Conclusions A strong, pulsed magnetic field can inhibit the growth of bladder tumor BIU-87 cells and promote their apoptosis. The mechanism is probably related with the magnetic field promoting Bax mRNA and protein expression and inhibiting Bcl-2 mRNA and protein expression.