Effect of extremely-low-frequency pulsed magnetic fields on the mitogenic response of peripheral blood mononuclear cells

The effect of extremely-low-frequency pulsed magnetic fields (PMF) on the response of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells to mitogenic stimulation is reported. We investigated 25 healthy control subjects. Mitogen-stimulated mononuclear cells were exposed to PMF for 72 h and an inhibition of 3H-thymidine uptake was observed in all but one subject. The degree of inhibition of 3H-thymidine uptake was as much as 60%. There was no significant difference between the blastogenic responses of mononuclear cells exposed to PMF for 12 h and control cultures. This study establishes an inhibitory effect of PMF on an in vitro measure of immune function.