Calcium uptake by leukemic and normal T‐lymphocytes exposed to low frequency magnetic fields

Abstract

Calcium-ion uptake by normal and leukemia lymphocytes increased during a 30-min exposure to a 13.6 Hz, sinusoidal magnetic field at 20 μT peak. The time-varying field was horizontal and parallel to a 16.5 μT component of the ambient static magnetic field. The uptake of ⁴⁵Ca²⁺ increased 102% in a line of murine, cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (C57B1/6-derived CTLL-1), increased 126% in freshly-isolated spleen lymphocytes (C57B1/6 mice), and increased 75% in a line of lymphoma cells (C57B1/6-derived EL4). In contrast, there was no effect when the same field was applied for 30 min immediately before—as opposed to during—incorporation of calcium ions. When spleen lymphocytes were exposed during incubation with ⁴⁵Ca²⁺ to a 60 Hz magnetic field at 20 μT peak, a small but statistically significant increase (37%) in uptake of the labeled ions occurred. These results indicate that weak, alternating magnetic fields might affect calcium-dependent functions of normal and leukemic lymphocytes.