Human Biofield Therapy and the Growth of Mouse Lung Carcinoma

Peiying Yang, Yan Jiang, Patrea R. Rhea, Tara Coway, Dongmei Chen, Mihai Gagea, Sean L. Harribance, Lorenzo Cohen

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

5 Scopus citations

Abstract

Biofield therapies have gained popularity and are being explored as possible treatments for cancer. In some cases, devices have been developed that mimic the electromagnetic fields that are emitted from people delivering biofield therapies. However, there is limited research examining if humans could potentially inhibit the proliferation of cancer cells and suppress tumor growth through modification of inflammation and the immune system. We found that human NSCLC A549 lung cancer cells exposed to Sean L. Harribance, a purported healer, showed reduced viability and downregulation of pAkt. We further observed that the experimental exposure slowed growth of mouse Lewis lung carcinoma evidenced by significantly smaller tumor volume in the experimental mice (274.3 ± 188.9 mm 3 ) than that of control mice (740.5 ± 460.2 mm 3 ; P <.05). Exposure to the experimental condition markedly reduced tumoral expression of pS6, a cytosolic marker of cell proliferation, by 45% compared with that of the control group. Results of reversed phase proteomic array suggested that the experimental exposure downregulated the PD-L1 expression in the tumor tissues. Similarly, the serum levels of cytokines, especially MCP-1, were significantly reduced in the experimental group (P <.05). Furthermore, TILs profiling showed that CD8 + /CD4 immune cell population was increased by almost 2-fold in the experimental condition whereas the number of intratumoral CD25 + /CD4 + (T-reg cells) and CD68 + macrophages were 84% and 33%, respectively, lower than that of the control group. Together, these findings suggest that exposure to purported biofields from a human is capable of suppressing tumor growth, which might be in part mediated through modification of the tumor microenvironment, immune function, and anti-inflammatory activity in our mouse lung tumor model.

Original languageEnglish (US)
JournalIntegrative cancer therapies
Volume18
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 1 2019

Keywords

  • Lewis lung carcinoma
  • PD-L1
  • biofield
  • immune modulation

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Oncology
  • Complementary and alternative medicine

MD Anderson CCSG core facilities

  • Advanced Technology Genomics Core
  • Bioinformatics Shared Resource
  • Flow Cytometry and Cellular Imaging Facility
  • Functional Proteomics Reverse Phase Protein Array Core
  • Research Animal Support Facility
  • Tissue Biospecimen and Pathology Resource
  • Cytogenetics and Cell Authentication Core

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