System for the exposure of cell suspensions to power-frequency electric fields.

A system is described that uses an oscillating magnetic field to produce power-frequency electric fields with strengths in excess of those produced in an animal or human standing under a high-voltage electric-power transmission line. In contrast to other types of exposure systems capable of generating fields of this size, no electrodes are placed in the conducting growth media: the possibility of electrode contamination of the exposed suspension is thereby eliminated. Electric fields in the range 0.02-3.5 V/m can be produced in a cell culture with total harmonic distortions less than 1.5%. The magnetic field used to produce electric fields for exposure is largely confined within a closed ferromagnetic circuit, and experimental and control cells are exposed to leakage magnetic flux densities less than 5 microT . The temperatures of the experimental and control cell suspensions are held fixed within +/- 0.1 degrees C by a water bath. Special chambers were developed to hold cell cultures during exposure and sham exposure. Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells incubated in these chambers grew for at least 48 h and had population doubling times of 16-17 h, approximately the same as for CHO cells grown under standard cell-culture conditions.