Effects of long-term exposure to 900 MHz EMF on heart morphology and biochemistry of male adolescent rats

PAPER manual 2016 Animal study Effect: harm Evidence: Low

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Abstract

Effects of long-term exposure to 900 MHz EMF on heart morphology and biochemistry of male adolescent rats Kerimoğlu G, Mercantepe T, Erol HS, Turgut A, Kaya H, Çolakoğlu S, Odacı E. Effects of long-term exposure to 900 megahertz electromagnetic field on heart morphology and biochemistry of male adolescent rats. Biotech Histochem. 2016 Aug 11:1-10. Abstract The pathological effects of exposure to an electromagnetic field (EMF) during adolescence may be greater than those in adulthood. We investigated the effects of exposure to 900 MHz EMF during adolescence on male adult rats. Twenty-four 21-day-old male rats were divided into three equal groups: control (Cont-Gr), sham (Shm-Gr) and EMF-exposed (EMF-Gr). EMF-Gr rats were placed in an EMF exposure cage (Plexiglas cage) for 1 h/day between postnatal days 21 and 59 and exposed to 900 MHz EMF. Shm-Gr rats were placed inside the Plexiglas cage under the same conditions and for the same duration, but were not exposed to EMF. All animals were sacrificed on postnatal day 60 and the hearts were extracted for microscopic and biochemical analyses. Biochemical analysis showed increased levels of malondialdehyde and superoxide dismutase, and reduced glutathione and catalase levels in EMF-Gr compared to Cont-Gr animals. Hematoxylin and eosin stained sections from EMF-Gr animals exhibited structural changes and capillary congestion in the myocardium. The percentage of apoptotic myocardial cells in EMF-Gr was higher than in either Shm-Gr or Cont-Gr animals. Transmission electron microscopy of myocardial cells of EMF-Gr animals showed altered structure of Z bands, decreased myofilaments and pronounced vacuolization. We found that exposure of male rats to 900 MHz EMF for 1 h/day during adolescence caused oxidative stress, which caused structural alteration of male adolescent rat heart tissue. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

AI evidence extraction

At a glance

Study type

Animal study

Effect direction

harm

Population

Male adolescent rats (21-day-old at start; sacrificed postnatal day 60)

Sample size

Exposure

RF · 900 MHz · 1 h/day between postnatal days 21 and 59

Evidence strength

Low

Confidence: 78% · Peer-reviewed: yes

Main findings

Compared with control animals, EMF-exposed rats showed increased malondialdehyde and superoxide dismutase levels and reduced glutathione and catalase levels. Histology and electron microscopy indicated myocardial structural changes (including capillary congestion, altered Z bands, decreased myofilaments, and vacuolization), and the percentage of apoptotic myocardial cells was higher in the EMF-exposed group than in sham or control.

Outcomes measured

Heart morphology (microscopy; H&E)
Myocardial ultrastructure (transmission electron microscopy)
Oxidative stress/biochemistry markers (malondialdehyde, superoxide dismutase, glutathione, catalase)
Apoptosis in myocardial cells

Limitations

Specific exposure dosimetry (e.g., SAR) not reported in the abstract
Animal study; generalizability to humans is uncertain
Small sample size (n=24 total; 3 groups)

View raw extracted JSON

{
    "study_type": "animal",
    "exposure": {
        "band": "RF",
        "source": null,
        "frequency_mhz": 900,
        "sar_wkg": null,
        "duration": "1 h/day between postnatal days 21 and 59"
    },
    "population": "Male adolescent rats (21-day-old at start; sacrificed postnatal day 60)",
    "sample_size": 24,
    "outcomes": [
        "Heart morphology (microscopy; H&E)",
        "Myocardial ultrastructure (transmission electron microscopy)",
        "Oxidative stress/biochemistry markers (malondialdehyde, superoxide dismutase, glutathione, catalase)",
        "Apoptosis in myocardial cells"
    ],
    "main_findings": "Compared with control animals, EMF-exposed rats showed increased malondialdehyde and superoxide dismutase levels and reduced glutathione and catalase levels. Histology and electron microscopy indicated myocardial structural changes (including capillary congestion, altered Z bands, decreased myofilaments, and vacuolization), and the percentage of apoptotic myocardial cells was higher in the EMF-exposed group than in sham or control.",
    "effect_direction": "harm",
    "limitations": [
        "Specific exposure dosimetry (e.g., SAR) not reported in the abstract",
        "Animal study; generalizability to humans is uncertain",
        "Small sample size (n=24 total; 3 groups)"
    ],
    "evidence_strength": "low",
    "confidence": 0.7800000000000000266453525910037569701671600341796875,
    "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
    "keywords": [
        "900 MHz",
        "electromagnetic field",
        "RF",
        "adolescence",
        "rat",
        "heart",
        "myocardium",
        "oxidative stress",
        "malondialdehyde",
        "superoxide dismutase",
        "glutathione",
        "catalase",
        "apoptosis",
        "histology",
        "electron microscopy"
    ],
    "suggested_hubs": []
}

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AI-extracted fields are generated from the abstract/metadata and may be incomplete or incorrect. This content is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice.

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