Pre-exposure of Neuroblastoma Cell Line to Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Prevents H 2 O 2 -Induced ROS Production by Increasing MnSODActivity Cecilia Osera, 1 * Marialaura Amadio, 1 Stefano Falone, 2 Lorenzo Fassina, 3,4 Giovanni Magenes, 3,4 Fernanda Amicarelli, 2,5 Giovanni Ricevuti, 6 Stefano Govoni, 1 and Alessia Pascale 1 1 Department of Drug Sciences, Section of Pharmacology, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy 2 Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L 0 Aquila, L 0 Aquila, Italy 3 Department of Industrial and Information Engineering, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy 4 Center forTissue Engineering, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy 5 Institute of Translational Pharmacology, National Research Council, L 0 Aquila, Italy 6 IDR ‘‘Santa Margherita,’’ Department of Internal Medicine and Therapeutics, Section of Geriatrics and Gerontology, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy Electromagnetic fields (EMFs) have been linked to increased risk of cancers and neurodegenerative diseases; however, EMFs can also elicit positive effects on biological systems, and redox status seems crucially involved in EMF biological effects. This study aimed to assess whether a short and repeated pulsed EMF (PEMF) could trigger adaptive responses against an oxidative insult in a neuronal cellular model. We found that a 40 min overall (four times a week, 10 min each) pre- exposure to PEMF did not affect major physiological parameters and led to a significant increase of Mn-dependent superoxide dismutase activity in the human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cell line. In addition, we found PEMF-pre-exposed cells exhibited decreased reactive oxygen species production following a 30 min H 2 O 2 challenge, with respect to non pre-exposed cells. Our findings might provide new insights on the role played by short and repeated PEMF stimulations in the enhancement of cellular defenses against oxidative insults. Although studies in normal neuronal cells would be useful to further confirm our hypothesis, we suggest that specific PEMF treatments may have potential biological repercussions in diseases where oxidative stress is implicated. Bioelectromagnetics. 9999:1–14, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Key words: electromagnetism; SH-SY5Y; oxidative stimulus; superoxide dismutase; reactive oxygen species INTRODUCTION Extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields (ELF–EMFs) are increasing worldwide due to mas- sive use of domestic and industrial appliances. Some epidemiological and occupational studies demon- strated a correlation between electromagnetic expo- sure and increased risk of developing cancers (e.g., leukemia and glioma) [Kheifets et al., 2010; Turner et al., 2014] or neurodegeneration, such as Alz- heimer’s disease [Davanipour et al., 2007; Sardi et al., 2011; Maes and Verschaeve, 2012]. On the other hand, ELF–EMF stimulation of brain nerve cells has been proposed as treatment for neurodegenerative disorders, with special attention to Alzheimer’s dis- Grant sponsor: Italian National Institute of Insurance for Acci- dents at Work; grant number: 4/2010. Conflict of interest: None. *Correspondence to: Dr. Cecilia Osera, Department of Drug Sciences, Section of Pharmacology, University of Pavia, Viale Taramelli 14, 27100 Pavia, Italy. E-mail: cecilia.osera@unipv.it Received for review 31 July 2014; Accepted 16 January 2015 DOI: 10.1002/BEM.21900 Published online XX Month Year in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com). Bioelectromagnetics ß 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.