Effect of 50-Hz magnetic fields on the expression of activation-induced deaminase, B-cell lymphoma 6 and serum levels of interleukin-6, interleukin-21

Abstract

Background

Investigations showed different effects of magnetic fields (MFs) on the immune system. During humoral immune responses, genes of activation-induced deaminase (AID) and B-cell lymphoma-6 (Bcl-6) are expressed and interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-21 are produced. These factors play significant roles in class switching, affinity maturation of antibodies and activations of B cells germinal centers (GCs). Therefore, this study investigated the effect of 50-Hz MFs exposure with different densities on these factors.

Materials and methods

Eighty rats were divided into four exposures and control groups. The treatment groups were exposed to magnetic flux densities of 1, 100, 500, and 2000 μT (50 Hz, 2 h/d for 60 d). To activation of the immune system, all the animals were immunized with human serum albumin on days 31, 44, and 58 of exposure. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to assay the expression levels of AID and Bcl-6 genes in the spleen. The serum levels of IL-6 and IL-21 were also detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay at the pre-and post-immunization phases.

Results

AID expression was significantly declined at 1μT magnetic flux density, while no change was observed in the expression of Bcl-6. Serum IL-6 was increased only in the 500 μT group at the post-immunization phase.

Conclusions

It seems exposure to 50-Hz MFs at 1 μT density, suppresses AID and may cause a decline in class switching and affinity maturation of Abs. On the other hand, exposure to 500 μT, may activate them. These findings demonstrate the various potential effects of MFs on the humoral immune system.

Graphical Abstract

Keywords:

• Activation induced deaminase
• B-cell lymphoma 6
• interleukin-6
• interleukin-21
• magnetics fields

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This investigation was supported by the Vice–Chancellor for Research and Technology of Hamadan University of Medical Sciences (Grant No. 9603302140) and approved by its Ethics Committee (Code: IR.UMSHA.REC.1396.96).

Notes on contributors

Mohammad Gholamian-Hamadan

Mohammad Gholamian-Hamadan, MSc, is an MSc educated of Medical Immunology and a researcher in Medical Immunology laboratory, at the Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran.

Mahdi Behzad

Mahdi Behzad, DVM, PhD, is an associated professor of Medical Immunology at the Department of Immunology, School of Medicine and a senior researcher in the Research Center for Molecular Medicine, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran

Setare Molaei

Setare Molaei, MSc, is an MSc educated of Medical Immunology, at the Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran.

Zohreh Zarei Ghane

Zohreh Zarei Ghane, MSc, is a PhD student of Medical Immunology and a researcher in Medical Immunology laboratory, at the Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran.

Elaheh Talebi-Ghane

Elaheh Talebi-Ghane, PhD, is an assistant Professor of Biostatistics and a Researcher at the Modeling of noncommunicable diseases research center, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran.

Alireza Zamani

Alireza Zamani, PhD, is a professor of Medical Immunology at the Department of Immunology, School of Medicine and a senior researcher in the Research Center for Molecular Medicine, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran