Low-frequency repetitive magnetic stimulation suppresses neuroblastoma progression by downregulating the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway

Abstract

Repetitive magnetic stimulation (rMS) has been suggested as a non-invasive treatment for various neurological or psychiatric diseases. Contrary to the application previously used, the purpose of the present study was to elucidate whether low-frequency rMS could suppress tumor progression in in vitro and in vivo neuroblastoma models, and to explore the underlying mechanisms. The results demonstrated that low-frequency rMS treatment significantly suppressed cell proliferation and tumor progression in the models. Moreover, low-frequency rMS treatment downregulated the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway and induced apoptosis. The Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway activator, Wnt agonist, was found to counteract the effect of low-frequency rMS treatment, while the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway inhibitor, Wnt antagonist, exhibited a tumor suppression effect, similar to the effect of low-frequency rMS treatment. Taken together, our data demonstrated that low-frequency rMS treatment suppressed neuroblastoma progression by downregulating the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, suggesting that low-frequency rMS treatment may be a potential therapeutic strategy for the tumor suppression.