Methotrexate cytotoxicity on MCF-7 breast cancer cells is not altered by exposure to 25 Hz, 1.5 mT magnetic field and iron (III) chloride hexahydrate.

The action of electromagnetic fields (EMF) on different pathways related to cell physiology, proliferation, toxicity of chemicals, gene expression, etc., are currently being investigated although the results are still not conclusive and even conflicting. In laboratory and animal studies, EMF has been found to produce a great variety of effects such as: increase in ornithine decarboxylase activity in breast, increase in beta-galactosidase gene expression and oncogene transcription after exposure to 50/60 Hz. Animal studies have shown that the use of EMF can enhance drug delivery across biological barriers (rat abdominal skin), using benzoic acid as the drug candidate. It has been reported by different authors that pulsed EMF (PEMF) can produce alterations in antineoplastic drugs potency. In the present study, we investigated the effects of PEMF on methotrexate cytotoxicity in MCF-7 breast cancer cells and the effects with simultaneous exposure to FeCl3. The data presented in the current report indicate that PEMF (25 Hz, 1.5 mT) do not induce modulation of the action of methotrexate (with and without iron-III) in MCF-7 cells when they are exposed to PEMF for 2 h/day during 3 days.