Mana Shojapour

In vitro Evaluation of the Combined Effects of a Static Magnetic Field and Curcumin on MCF7 and HeLa Cell Lines

This study examined how varying levels of curcumin and static magnetic fields (SMF) affected three cell types, with outcomes influenced by field strength and curcumin concentration in normal and cancerous cells. The effects of static magnetic fields on cell proliferation and death rates were evaluated using the MTT assay and flow cytometry. The efficacy of the magnetic field, with or without curcumin (10-40 µg/ml), was assessed. Cells were treated with curcumin at the optimal concentration from the MTT assay and simultaneously exposed to a static magnetic field (7, 10, or 25 mT) for 48 hours. Our study demonstrated that SMF (7 mT) exposure significantly increased the proportion of HeLa and MCF-7 cells in the early apoptotic phase. Curcumin application markedly elevated necrosis rates in both cell lines. Additionally, curcumin (5 µg/ml) significantly affected apoptosis rates in HeLa and MCF-7 cells (p < 0.05). This study demonstrated that SMF exposure significantly increased necrotic cell death in HeLa cells and accelerated apoptosis in both cancer cell types. The minimum effective dose of curcumin combined with SMF caused a four-fold increase in apoptosis in HeLa cells compared to curcumin alone.