Retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) is the pigmented cell layer just outside the neurosensory retina that nourishes retinal visual cells, and is firmly attached to the underlying choroid and overlying retinal visual cells. Pulsed electromagnetic fields, as inducer of cell growth and differentiation, are effective on apoptosis-genes which may be used in experimental clinical examinations.This study was conducted to investigate the effect of pulsed electro-magnetic field on cell death and cell proliferation of Retinal pigment epithelium(RPE) cells

Primary human RPE cells were cultured in 1 ml of DMEM: F12 supplemented with FBS 10% (v/v) in 24-well plates on cover¬slips. When the cultures reached to 80% confluence, culture medium was removed and slides were fixed with methanol and subjected to ICC for cytokeratin 8/18 and RPE65. RPE Cells were isolated from neonatal human globes and cultured in DMEM: F12 (1:1) supplemented with 10% FBS. When cell population reached up to 60%, the cells were exposed to pulsed electromagnetic field with intensity of 1 mT and frequency of 50 Hz, 8 hours a day for 3 days. Cell proliferation and cell death assays were performed after the exposure.

Cell proliferation assay did not demonstrate any change after the exposure of the RPE cells to the electromagnetic field. Cell death amount was also unremarkable after the exposure.

Electromagnetic field with the specifications used in the current study, induced neither proliferation nor apoptosis in cultivated RPE cells. Further investigations with respect to cellular and molecular changes of the RPE cells exposed to different sets of pulsed electromagnetic field should be performed.