Exposure to 2.45 GHz Electromagnetic Radiation Induced Different Cell Responses in Neuron-like Cells and Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells

2023 · Harm · Low evidence

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HarmLow evidencePaper 356

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2023

Study typein_vitro

Reported directionHarm

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Exposure to 2.45 GHz Electromagnetic Radiation Induced Different Cell Responses in Neuron-like Cells and Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells Bertuccio MP, Acri G, Ientile R, Caccamo D, Currò M. The Exposure to 2.45 GHz Electromagnetic Radiation Induced Different Cell Responses in Neuron-like Cells and Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells. Biomedicines. 2023; 11(12):3129. doi.org. Abstract Electromagnetic radiation emitted by commonly used devices became an issue for public health because of their harmful effects. Notably, 2.45 GHz electromagnetic radiation exposure has been associated with DNA damage and alterations in the central nervous system. We here investigated the effects of 2.45 GHz electromagnetic radiation on cell redox status by using human SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells, which were differentiated to neuronal-like cells, and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), which were exposed to an antenna emitting 2.45 GHz electromagnetic radiation for 2, 24, and 48 h. We evaluated cell viability and mitochondrial activity alterations by measuring reactive oxygen species (ROS), mitochondrial transmembrane potential (ΔΨm), NAD+/NADH ratio, mitochondrial transcription factor A (mtTFA), and superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) gene transcript levels. We also investigated apoptosis and autophagy, evaluating B-cell lymphoma 2 (BCL2), BCL2- associated X protein (BAX), and microtubule-associated protein 1A/1B-light chain 3 (LC3) gene transcript levels. Cell viability was significantly reduced after 24–48 h of exposure to radiation. ROS levels significantly increased in radiation-exposed cells, compared with controls at all exposure times. ΔΨm values decreased after 2 and 24 h in exposed SH-SY5Y cells, while in PBMCs, values decreased soon after 2 h of exposure. Alterations were also found in the NAD+/NADH ratio, mtTFA, SOD1, LC3 gene expression, and BAX/BCL2 ratio. Our results showed that neuron-like cells are more prone to developing oxidative stress than PBMCs after 2.45 GHz electromagnetic radiation exposure, activating an early antioxidant defense response. Conclusions Taken together, the current research results showed that 2.45 GHz EMR emitted from commonly used devices is capable of influencing both ROS production and mitochondrial imbalance, but it must be considered that these effects may vary based on the experimental parameters. In fact, they may depend on the time of exposure to electromagnetic fields and on the kind of cells used. Therefore, to protect individuals from the adverse effects of EMR exposure on the antioxidant potential of our cells, the use of such devices should be limited. Further investigations are necessary to better understand and confirm these observations, taking into account the complexity of the immune network and increasing the radiation exposure time. Open access paper: mdpi.com

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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 typein_vitro

Effect directionharm

PopulationHuman SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells differentiated to neuron-like cells; human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs)

Sample sizeNot supplied

ExposureRF · 2450 MHz · 2, 24, and 48 h

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Cell viability was significantly reduced after 24–48 h exposure. ROS levels significantly increased at all exposure times versus controls. ΔΨm decreased after 2 and 24 h in exposed SH-SY5Y cells and decreased after 2 h in PBMCs; additional alterations were reported in NAD+/NADH ratio and in mtTFA, SOD1, LC3 expression and BAX/BCL2 ratio, with neuron-like cells described as more prone to oxidative stress than PBMCs.

Outcomes measured

cell viability
mitochondrial activity
reactive oxygen species (ROS)
mitochondrial transmembrane potential (ΔΨm)
NAD+/NADH ratio
mtTFA gene transcript levels
SOD1 gene transcript levels
apoptosis-related transcripts (BCL2, BAX)
autophagy-related transcript (LC3)
BAX/BCL2 ratio

Limitations

No SAR or exposure intensity/dosimetry details reported in the abstract
In vitro cell models; findings may not generalize to in vivo human health outcomes
Sample size and replication not reported in the abstract
Authors note effects may vary with experimental parameters (exposure time and cell type) and call for further investigations

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "in_vitro",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF",
    "source": "antenna emitting 2.45 GHz electromagnetic radiation (commonly used devices)",
    "frequency_mhz": 2450,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "2, 24, and 48 h"
  },
  "population": "Human SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells differentiated to neuron-like cells; human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs)",
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "cell viability",
    "mitochondrial activity",
    "reactive oxygen species (ROS)",
    "mitochondrial transmembrane potential (ΔΨm)",
    "NAD+/NADH ratio",
    "mtTFA gene transcript levels",
    "SOD1 gene transcript levels",
    "apoptosis-related transcripts (BCL2, BAX)",
    "autophagy-related transcript (LC3)",
    "BAX/BCL2 ratio"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Cell viability was significantly reduced after 24–48 h exposure. ROS levels significantly increased at all exposure times versus controls. ΔΨm decreased after 2 and 24 h in exposed SH-SY5Y cells and decreased after 2 h in PBMCs; additional alterations were reported in NAD+/NADH ratio and in mtTFA, SOD1, LC3 expression and BAX/BCL2 ratio, with neuron-like cells described as more prone to oxidative stress than PBMCs.",
  "effect_direction": "harm",
  "limitations": [
    "No SAR or exposure intensity/dosimetry details reported in the abstract",
    "In vitro cell models; findings may not generalize to in vivo human health outcomes",
    "Sample size and replication not reported in the abstract",
    "Authors note effects may vary with experimental parameters (exposure time and cell type) and call for further investigations"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "2.45 GHz",
    "RF-EMR",
    "electromagnetic radiation",
    "SH-SY5Y",
    "neuron-like cells",
    "PBMCs",
    "oxidative stress",
    "ROS",
    "mitochondria",
    "ΔΨm",
    "NAD+/NADH",
    "mtTFA",
    "SOD1",
    "apoptosis",
    "autophagy",
    "BAX",
    "BCL2",
    "LC3"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "school-wi-fi",
      "weight": 0.55,
      "reason": "Exposure frequency is 2.45 GHz, commonly used by Wi‑Fi devices; abstract frames it as emitted by commonly used devices."
    }
  ]
}

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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: 10.3390/biomedicines11123129
PubMed: Not supplied

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