Investigating the expression changes of several key genes in prostate cancer cells under exposure to the ELF pulsed electromagnetic fields

One of the less invasive methods in cancer treatment is the use of Extremely Low-Frequency Pulsed-Electromagnetic Fields (ELF P-EMF). In this study, after culturing and proliferating DU-145 prostate cancer cells, they were exposed to ELF P-EMF with different intensities and times. Then, the cells' viability was examined by applying the MTT test, and their level of apoptosis/ necrosis was analyzed using a flow cytometry test. Then, for the studied groups, RNA extraction steps were performed, and cDNA was subsequently synthesized. Finally, using Real-time PCR, the expression levels of key genes such as PTEN, BAX, BCL-2, and MIR-21 in the targeted cancer cells were examined, and statistically, the significance of their expression differences with the control group was measured using SPSS software. The results indicated that by increasing the ELF P-EMF intensity from 22.6 to 35 mT and the duration of exposure, the mortality rate of cancer cells increased significantly. In addition, exposing cells of this line to ELF P-EMF could induce apoptosis in these cells. Also, applying fields with intensities of 22.6 and 35 mT led to a significant increase in the expression of the tumor suppressor gene PTEN and an increase in the expression of the apoptosis-inducing gene BAX. In addition, applying the field significantly reduced the expression of the oncogene MIR-21 and, to some extent, reduced the expression of the BCL-2 gene, which blocks apoptosis.