Effect of 2850 MHz electromagnetic field radiation on the early growth, antioxidant activity, and secondary metabolite profile of red and green cabbage

2023 · Harm · Low evidence

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HarmLow evidencePaper 338

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2023

Study typeanimal

Reported directionHarm

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Effect of 2850 MHz electromagnetic field radiation on the early growth, antioxidant activity, and secondary metabolite profile of red and green cabbage Handa AP, Vian A, Singh HP et al. Effect of 2850 MHz electromagnetic field radiation on the early growth, antioxidant activity, and secondary metabolite profile of red and green cabbage (Brassica oleracea L.). Environ Sci Pollut Res (2023). doi: 10.1007/s11356-023-31434-3. Abstract The proliferation of wireless and other telecommunications equipment brought about by technological advances in the communication industry has substantially increased the radiofrequency radiation levels in the environment. The emphasis is, therefore, placed on investigating the potential impacts of radiofrequency radiation on biota. In this work, the impact of 2850 MHz electromagnetic field radiation (EMF-r) on early development, photosynthetic pigments, and the metabolic profile of two Brassica oleracea L. cultivars (red and green cabbage) was studied. On a daily basis for seven days, seedlings were exposed to homogeneous EMF-r for one, two, and four hours, and observations were carried out at 0-h, 1-h, and 24-h following the final dose. Irrespective of the duration of harvest, exposure to EMF-r resulted in a dose-dependent reduction in both root (from 6.3 cm to 4.0 cm in red; 6.1 cm to 3.8 cm in green) and shoot lengths (from 5.3 cm to ⁓3.1 cm in red; 5.1 cm to 3.1 cm in green), as well as a decrease in biomass (from 2.9 mg to ⁓1.1 mg in red; 2.5 to 0.9 mg in green) of the seedlings when compared to control samples. Likewise, the chlorophyll (from 6.09 to ⁓4.94 mg g−1 d.wt in red; 7.37 to 6.05 mg g−1 d.wt. in green) and carotenoid (from 1.49 to 1.19 mg g−1 d.wt. in red; 1.14 to 0.51 mg g−1 d.wt. in green) contents of both cultivars decreased significantly when compared to the control. Additionally, the contents of phenolic (28.99‒45.52 mg GAE g−1 in red; 25.49‒33.76 mg GAE g−1 in green), flavonoid (21.7‒31.8 mg QE g−1 in red; 12.1‒19.0 mg QE g−1 in green), and anthocyanin (28.8‒43.6 mg per 100 g d.wt. in red; 1.1‒2.6 mg per 100 g d.wt. in green) in both red and green cabbage increased with exposure duration. EMF-r produced oxidative stress in the exposed samples of both cabbage cultivars, as demonstrated by dose-dependent increases in the total antioxidant activity (1.33‒2.58 mM AAE in red; 1.29‒2.22 mM AAE in green), DPPH activity (12.96‒78.33% in red; 9.62‒67.73% in green), H2O2 content (20.0‒77.15 nM g−1 f.wt. in red; 14.28‒64.29 nM g−1 f.wt. in green), and MDA content (0.20‒0.61 nM g−1 f.wt. in red; 0.18‒0.51 nM g−1 f.wt. in green) compared to their control counterparts. The activity of antioxidant enzymes, i.e., superoxide dismutases (3.83‒8.10 EU mg−1 protein in red; 4.19‒7.35 EU mg−1 protein in green), catalases (1.81‒7.44 EU mg−1 protein in red; 1.04‒6.24 EU mg−1 protein in green), and guaiacol peroxidases (14.37‒47.85 EU mg−1 protein in red; 12.30‒42.79 EU mg−1 protein in green), increased significantly compared to their control counterparts. The number of polyphenols in unexposed and EMF-r exposed samples of red cabbage was significantly different. The study concludes that exposure to 2850 MHz EMF-r affects the early development of cabbage seedlings, modifies their photosynthetic pigments, alters polyphenol content, and impairs their oxidative metabolism. link.springer.com

Machine Enhanced Logic

AI evidence extraction

Structured fields below were generated from the paper’s abstract and metadata to make the evidence easier to inspect. Automated extraction may be incomplete or incorrect; verify important details against the original paper.

Study typeanimal

Effect directionharm

PopulationBrassica oleracea L. seedlings (red and green cabbage cultivars)

Sample sizeNot supplied

ExposureRF · 2850 MHz · Daily for 7 days; 1, 2, or 4 hours/day; outcomes assessed at 0 h, 1 h, and 24 h after final exposure

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Across harvest times, 2850 MHz EMF radiation exposure for 7 days produced dose-dependent reductions in root and shoot length and biomass in both red and green cabbage seedlings versus controls. Chlorophyll and carotenoid contents decreased, while phenolics, flavonoids, and anthocyanins increased with exposure duration; oxidative stress markers (e.g., H2O2, MDA) and antioxidant activities/enzymes increased, and red cabbage polyphenol profiles differed between exposed and unexposed samples.

Outcomes measured

Root length
Shoot length
Biomass
Chlorophyll content
Carotenoid content
Phenolic content
Flavonoid content
Anthocyanin content
Total antioxidant activity
DPPH activity
H2O2 content
MDA content
Antioxidant enzyme activity (SOD, catalase, guaiacol peroxidase)
Polyphenol profile differences

Limitations

Sample size not reported in abstract
Exposure metric (e.g., SAR or field strength) not reported in abstract
Study is on plant seedlings; generalizability to other organisms not addressed in abstract
Randomization/blinding and other design details not described in abstract

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "animal",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF",
    "source": null,
    "frequency_mhz": 2850,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "Daily for 7 days; 1, 2, or 4 hours/day; outcomes assessed at 0 h, 1 h, and 24 h after final exposure"
  },
  "population": "Brassica oleracea L. seedlings (red and green cabbage cultivars)",
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "Root length",
    "Shoot length",
    "Biomass",
    "Chlorophyll content",
    "Carotenoid content",
    "Phenolic content",
    "Flavonoid content",
    "Anthocyanin content",
    "Total antioxidant activity",
    "DPPH activity",
    "H2O2 content",
    "MDA content",
    "Antioxidant enzyme activity (SOD, catalase, guaiacol peroxidase)",
    "Polyphenol profile differences"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Across harvest times, 2850 MHz EMF radiation exposure for 7 days produced dose-dependent reductions in root and shoot length and biomass in both red and green cabbage seedlings versus controls. Chlorophyll and carotenoid contents decreased, while phenolics, flavonoids, and anthocyanins increased with exposure duration; oxidative stress markers (e.g., H2O2, MDA) and antioxidant activities/enzymes increased, and red cabbage polyphenol profiles differed between exposed and unexposed samples.",
  "effect_direction": "harm",
  "limitations": [
    "Sample size not reported in abstract",
    "Exposure metric (e.g., SAR or field strength) not reported in abstract",
    "Study is on plant seedlings; generalizability to other organisms not addressed in abstract",
    "Randomization/blinding and other design details not described in abstract"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "2850 MHz",
    "radiofrequency",
    "electromagnetic field radiation",
    "Brassica oleracea",
    "cabbage",
    "seedlings",
    "early growth",
    "photosynthetic pigments",
    "chlorophyll",
    "carotenoids",
    "phenolics",
    "flavonoids",
    "anthocyanins",
    "oxidative stress",
    "antioxidant enzymes",
    "polyphenols"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "rf-exposure",
      "weight": 0.8,
      "reason": "Experimental exposure to 2850 MHz radiofrequency electromagnetic field radiation with biological endpoints."
    }
  ]
}

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

Identifiers and source

DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-31434-3
PubMed: Not supplied

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