Cancer biotherapy & radiopharmaceuticalsJul 10, 2020

Pulsed and intermittent electromagnetic fields may reduce drug resistance in brain cancer by changing key gene levels

Circadian Biology Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Updated Mar 28, 2026

Abstract

EMF exposure combined with TMZ treatment enhanced cell death by increasing p53 and decreasing cyclin-D1 levels in glioblastoma cell lines.

Pulsed electromagnetic field (EMF) exposure may lead to increased cytotoxicity in TMZ-treated glioblastoma cell lines.
Cell migration potential was decreased in both T98 and A172 cells after combined treatment with TMZ and EMF.
Overexpression of the p53 gene was observed in T98 cells following treatment, while cyclin-D1 protein levels were downregulated.
T98 cells expressed the MGMT protein after treatment, suggesting a potential resistance mechanism, while A172 cells did not express MGMT.
These findings indicate that EMF exposure could partially affect TMZ resistance in T98 glioblastoma cells.

Simplified

Glioblastoma is a malignant and very aggressive brain tumor with a poor prognosis. Despite having chemotherapy concomitant with surgery and/or radiation therapy, the median survival of glioblastoma-affected people is less than 1 year. Temozolomide (TMZ) is a chemotherapeutic used as a first line treatment of glioblastoma. Several studies have reported that resistance to TMZ due to overexpression of O-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) is the main reason for treatment failure. Several studies described that pulsed-electromagnetic field (EMF) exposure could induce cell death and influence gene expression.In this study the authors assessed the effects of EMF (50 Hz, 70 G) on cytotoxicity, cell migration, gene expression, and protein levels in TMZ-treated T98 and A172 cell lines.In this study, the authors show that treatment with a combination of TMZ and EMF enhanced cell death and decreased the migration potential of T98 and A172 cells. The authors also observed overexpression of the p53 gene and downregulation of cyclin-D1 protein in comparison to controls. In addition, T98 cells expressed the MGMT protein following treatment, while the A172 cells did not express MGMT.Their data indicate that EMF exposure improved the cytotoxicity of TMZ on T98 and A172 cells and could partially affect resistance to TMZ in T98 cells. Background: Materials and Methods: Results: Conclusion: 6

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Pulsed and intermittent electromagnetic fields may reduce drug resistance in brain cancer by changing key gene levels

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