Direct current electric field exposure changes the conformational dynamics of IL-1β in RAW 264.7 macrophages

Wearable devices have led to a growing interest in the effects of physical stimuli, such as electric fields (EF), on cells. However, the impact of EF on macrophages remains largely unexplored. To address this gap, we developed an electric-field chamber that applies direct current electric field (dcEF) to RAW 264.7 macrophages and analyzed the transcriptome changes and IL-1β protein conformation dynamics. Our results showed that exposure to dcEF did not affect cell morphology but significantly reduced cell viability. RNA-seq analysis revealed that dcEF altered the expression of 3518 upregulated and 2,531 downregulated genes. We also identified 6 hub genes using PPI network analysis and qPCR test. In addition, WB results suggested that dcEF increased the expression level of IL-1β. Next, we used molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to investigate the impact of dcEF on the conformation of the IL-1β protein. Our analysis results indicate that the dcEF's intensity significantly impacts various aspects of protein behavior, including its structure, motion, hydrogen bonding, and dipole moment. The alpha-helix structure exhibited the earliest degradation when exposed to an electric field, destroying other natural structures. In addition, the results of interleukin-1 (IL-1) gene family analysis suggest that this gene family is evolutionarily highly conserved. Overall, our findings provide insights into the influence of dcEF on macrophages and suggest potential applications of dcEF in cell biology and medicine.