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.