Modulation of endoplasmic reticulum stress and the unfolded protein response in cancerous and noncancerous cells

OBJECTIVES: The bio-field array is a device that generates a dielectrophoretic electromagnetic field when placed in a hypotonic saline solution and a direct current of approximately 3 A is applied. It is known that cell physiology is guided by bioelectrical properties, and there is a significant growth inhibition in cancerous (MDA-MB-231) cells that are grown in media that has been reconstituted with the saline that has been exposed to the bio-field array direct current dielectrophoretic electromagnetic field, alternatively there is no growth inhibition noted in noncancerous cells (MCF-10A) when grown in the bio-field array direct current dielectrophoretic electromagnetic field treated versus control media. METHODS: To examine the basis for selective growth inhibition in human breast carcinoma, we employed cell death assays, cell cycle assays, microarray analysis and reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: We found a large transcriptional reprogramming in the cell lines and of the genes affected, those involved in endoplasmic reticulum stress and the unfolded protein response pathways showed some of the most dramatic changes. Cancerous cells grown in media that has been reconstituted with a hypotonic saline solution that has been exposed to the bio-field array direct current dielectrophoretic electromagnetic field show a significant and strong upregulation of the apoptotic arms of the unfolded protein response while the noncancerous cells show a decrease in endoplasmic reticulum stress via microarray analyses and reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. CONCLUSION: The bio-field array shows potential to initiate apoptosis in cancerous cells while relieving cell stress in noncancerous cells in vitro. These studies lay a foundation for nurses to conduct future in vivo models for the possible development of future adjunct treatments in chronic disease.