Non thermal 2.45 GHz electromagnetic exposure causes rapid changes in Arabidopsis thaliana metabolism

Abstract

Non thermal 2.45 GHz electromagnetic exposure causes rapid changes in Arabidopsis thaliana metabolism Porcher A, Girard S, Bonnet P, Rouveure R, Guérin V, Paladian F, Vian A. Non thermal 2.45 GHz electromagnetic exposure causes rapid changes in Arabidopsis thaliana metabolism. J Plant Physiol. 2023 May 11;286:153999. doi: 10.1016/j.jplph.2023.153999. Highlights • In our condition, 2.45 GHz HF-EMF exposure did not induce thermal effect in plants. • We observed rapid and transcient changes of gene expression and H2O2 metabolism. • Non-thermal biological responses to EMF exposure do exist in plants. Abstract Numerous studies report different types of responses following exposure of plants to high frequency electromagnetic fields (HF-EMF). While this phenomenon is related to tissue heating in animals, the situation is much less straightforward in plants where metabolic changes seem to occur without tissue temperature increase. We have set up an exposure system allowing reliable measurements of tissue heating (using a reflectometric probe and thermal imaging) after a long exposure (30 min) to an electromagnetic field of 2.45 GHz transmitted through a horn antenna (about 100 V m-1 at the plant level). We did not observe any heating of the tissues, but we detected rapid increases (60 min) in the accumulation of transcripts of stress-related genes (TCH1 and ZAT12 transcription factor) or involved in ROS metabolism (RBOHF and APX1). At the same time, the amounts of hydrogen peroxide and dehydroascorbic acid increased while glutathione (reduced and oxidized forms), ascorbic acid, and lipid peroxidation remained stable. Therefore, our results unambiguously show that molecular and biochemical responses occur rapidly (within 60min) in plants after exposure to an electromagnetic field, in absence of tissue heating. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

AI evidence extraction

Main findings

After 30 min exposure to a 2.45 GHz electromagnetic field (~100 V/m at plant level) delivered via horn antenna, no tissue heating was observed. Within 60 min, transcripts of stress-related and ROS-metabolism genes increased, and hydrogen peroxide and dehydroascorbic acid increased, while glutathione, ascorbic acid, and lipid peroxidation remained stable.

Outcomes measured

• Tissue heating (thermal imaging; reflectometric probe)
• Gene expression/transcript accumulation (TCH1, ZAT12, RBOHF, APX1)
• Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) levels
• Dehydroascorbic acid levels
• Glutathione (reduced and oxidized forms)
• Ascorbic acid levels
• Lipid peroxidation

Limitations

• Sample size not reported in provided abstract/metadata
• Exposure quantified as electric field strength (~100 V/m); SAR not reported
• Short-term outcomes only (rapid responses within 60 min)
• Study conducted in plants; relevance to human health not addressed

{
    "study_type": "animal",
    "exposure": {
        "band": "microwave",
        "source": "other",
        "frequency_mhz": 2450,
        "sar_wkg": null,
        "duration": "30 min exposure; responses assessed within 60 min"
    },
    "population": "Arabidopsis thaliana (plants)",
    "sample_size": null,
    "outcomes": [
        "Tissue heating (thermal imaging; reflectometric probe)",
        "Gene expression/transcript accumulation (TCH1, ZAT12, RBOHF, APX1)",
        "Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) levels",
        "Dehydroascorbic acid levels",
        "Glutathione (reduced and oxidized forms)",
        "Ascorbic acid levels",
        "Lipid peroxidation"
    ],
    "main_findings": "After 30 min exposure to a 2.45 GHz electromagnetic field (~100 V/m at plant level) delivered via horn antenna, no tissue heating was observed. Within 60 min, transcripts of stress-related and ROS-metabolism genes increased, and hydrogen peroxide and dehydroascorbic acid increased, while glutathione, ascorbic acid, and lipid peroxidation remained stable.",
    "effect_direction": "mixed",
    "limitations": [
        "Sample size not reported in provided abstract/metadata",
        "Exposure quantified as electric field strength (~100 V/m); SAR not reported",
        "Short-term outcomes only (rapid responses within 60 min)",
        "Study conducted in plants; relevance to human health not addressed"
    ],
    "evidence_strength": "low",
    "confidence": 0.7800000000000000266453525910037569701671600341796875,
    "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
    "keywords": [
        "2.45 GHz",
        "HF-EMF",
        "microwave",
        "non-thermal",
        "Arabidopsis thaliana",
        "gene expression",
        "ROS",
        "hydrogen peroxide",
        "dehydroascorbic acid",
        "thermal imaging",
        "horn antenna"
    ],
    "suggested_hubs": []
}

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