Extremely low frequency pulsed electromagnetic fields increase interleukin-2 (IL-2) utilization and IL-2 receptor expression in mitogen-stimulated human lymphocytes from old subjects.

The effects of the exposure of mitogen-stimulated human lymphocytes from aged subjects to low-frequency pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMFs) were studied by measuring the production of interleukin-2 (IL-2) and the expression of IL-2 receptor. PEMF-exposed cultures that presented increased [3H]thymidine incorporation showed lower amounts of IL-2 in their supernatants, but higher percentages of IL-2 receptor-positive cells and of T-activated lymphocytes. Taken together, these data suggest that PEMFs were able to modulate mitogen-induced lymphocyte proliferation by provoking an increase in utilization of IL-2, most likely acting on the expression of its receptor on the plasma membrane.