Background: It is common knowledge that static magnetic fields (SMF) do not interact with living cells; thus, fewer studies of SMF compared with variable magnetic fields are carried out. However, evidence demonstrated that SMF affect cellular structures. To investigate the effect of exposure to increasing doses of SMF on cell morphology, human glioblastoma cells were exposed to SMF ranging between 80 and 3,000 G (8 and 300 mT). Methods: Cell morphology of human glioblastoma cells, derived from a primary culture, was studied by electron and optic microscopy. FITC-phalloidin staining of actin filaments was also investigated. Finally, cell surface structure changes were detected by atomic force microscopy.Results: Scanning electron microscopy demonstrated a dose-dependent cell shape modification, progressive cell detachment, loss of the long villi, and appearance of membrane roughness and blebs. FITC-phalloidin staining confirmed the villi retention and cell dimension decrease. At
We have shown that melatonin exerts a prooxidant activity in U937 cells, a tumor human promonocytic cell line. (1) Here we show that melatonin induces a strong canonical activation of NF-kappaB, inducing IkappaBalpha degradation and the consequential nuclear translocation of p50/p65 subunits. The timing of NF-kappaB activation overlaps with the timing of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production due to melatonin. Overexpression of dominant-negative IkappaB, which prevents a possible NF-kappaB activation, transformed melatonin in a proapoptotic molecule. These data indicate for the first time that melatonin can trigger NF-kappaB activation and might suggest a possible role for ROS induced by melatonin. Results indicate a possible involvement in the survival pathway of melatonin-generated ROS as secondary messengers.
It was long believed that melatonin might counteract intracellular oxidative stress because it was shown to potentiate antioxidant endogenous defences, and to increase the activity of many antioxidant enzymes. However, it is now becoming evident that when radicals are measured within cells, melatonin increases, rather than decreasing, radical production. Herein we demonstrate a pro-oxidant effect of melatonin in U937 cells by showing an increase of intracellular oxidative species and a depletion of glutathione (GSH). The activity of glutathione peroxidase is not modified by melatonin treatment as it does occur in other experimental models.
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