Inhibition of angiogenesis mediated by extremely low-frequency magnetic fields (ELF-MFs).

The formation of new blood vessels is an essential therapeutic target in many diseases such as cancer, ischemic diseases, and chronic inflammation. In this regard, extremely low-frequency (ELF) electromagnetic fields (EMFs) seem able to inhibit vessel growth when used in a specific window of amplitude. To investigate the mechanism of anti-angiogenic action of ELF-EMFs we tested the effect of a sinusoidal magnetic field (MF) of 2 mT intensity and frequency of 50 Hz on endothelial cell models HUVEC and MS-1 measuring cell status and proliferation, motility and tubule formation ability.

ELF-MF transiently increases skeletal myoblast migration: possible role of calpain system.

Purpose: Cell migration is crucial for myogenesis since it is required for the alignment and fusion of myoblast. Ca(2+) signals are involved in regulating myoblast migration and an extremely low frequency (ELF) magnetic field (MF) increases intracellular calcium levels in C2C12 myoblast. This study was aimed at investigating whether ELF-MF could affect myoblast migration.

Involvement of mitochondrial activity in mediating ELF-EMF stimulatory effect on human sperm motility.

It has recently been reported that the exposure of human spermatozoa to an extremely low frequency (ELF) electromagnetic field (EMF) with a square waveform of 5 mT amplitude and frequency of 50 Hz improves sperm motility. The functional relationship between the energy metabolism and the enhancement of human sperm motility induced by ELF-EMF was investigated. Sperm exposure to ELF-EMF resulted in a progressive and significant increase of mitochondrial membrane potential and levels of ATP, ADP and NAD(+) that was associated with a progressive and significant increase in the sperm kinematic parameters.

Extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields (ELF-EMFs) induce in vitro angiogenesis process in human endothelial cells.

Effects of extremely low frequency (ELF) electromagnetic fields (EMFs) on activation of angiogenesis were analysed using cultured umbilical human vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). The cultures were exposed to a sinusoidal EMF to intensity of 1 mT, 50 Hz for up to 12 h. EMFs increased the degree of endothelial cell proliferation and tubule formation, coupled by an acceleration in the process of wound healing.

Ca2+-independent protein kinase C signalling in mouse eggs during the early phases of fertilization.

Protein kinase C (PKC), an enzyme playing a central role in signal transduction pathways, is activated in fertilized mouse eggs downstream of the fertilization Ca2+ signal, to regulate different aspects of egg activation. Given the presence of Ca2+-independent PKC isoforms within the egg, we investigated whether fertilization triggers PKC stimulation in mouse eggs by activating Ca2+-independent signalling pathways. An increase in PKC activity was detected as early as 10 min after the beginning of insemination, when about 90% of eggs had fused with sperm and the first Ca2+ rise was evident in most of the eggs.

Spectrin and Ankyrin-like Proteins in the Egg of Discoglossus pictus (Anura): Their Identification and Localization in the Site of Sperm Entrance versus the Rest of the Egg: (spectrin/ankyrin/anuran eggs/fertilization).

The Discoglossus pictus egg has a specific site of sperm-egg interaction, the dimple, which has a well-defined cytoskeleton. We studied whether there are cytoskeletal and cytoskeleton-related proteins typically involved in the polarization of plasma membrane proteins. The identity and the localization of the molecules cross-reacting with antispectrin, antifodrin and antiankyrin antiobodies were investigated by immunofluoresecence and immunoblotting of the proteins of the dimple (D) and of the rest of the egg (dimple-less-egg; DLE).