The effects of extremely low-frequency magnetic field exposure on apoptosis, neurodegeneration and trace element levels in the rat brain

2023 · Harm · Low evidence

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HarmLow evidencePaper 363

Rats exposed to 50 Hz extremely low-frequency magnetic fields at 1 mT, 1.5 mT, and 2 mT showed increased apoptosis and increased Ca levels in brain tissue compared with controls. The abstract reports that higher field levels were associated with greater apopt…

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2023

Study typeanimal

Reported directionHarm

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

The effects of extremely low-frequency magnetic field exposure on apoptosis, neurodegeneration and trace element levels in the rat brain Çakıt M O, Koca G, Akbulut A, Erdem O, Çetinkaya S, Umurhan G, Aydınbelge-dizdar N, Esmekaya M, Yumuşak N, Canseven Kurşun AG , Korkmaz M. The effects of extremely low-frequency magnetic field exposure on apoptosis, neurodegeneration and trace element levels in the rat brain. Anatolian Curr Med J / ACMJ / acmj. 2023; 5(2): 102-110. Abstract Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of 1mT, 1.5 mT, and 2 mT extremely low-frequency magnetic fields, which were within the limits for public environmental and occupational magnetic field exposure guidelines, on apoptosis, neurodegeneration and trace elements in rat brain cells. Material and Method: A total of 35 adult male Wistar rats were allocated into four main groups: Group 1 (n=8) was healthy controls; Group 2 (n=9) was exposed to 1 mT extremely low-frequency magnetic field; Group 3 (n=9) was exposed to 1.5 mT extremely low-frequency magnetic field and Group 4 (n=9) was exposed to 2 mT extremely low-frequency magnetic field. All the rats in the exposure groups were exposed to 50 Hz extremely low-frequency magnetic field for 4 hours per day, 5 days per week for 30 days in the Helmholtz coils. After the exposure, rats were sacrificed and rat brains were evaluated for histopathological and immunohistochemical changes as well as about the trace element levels in the brain. Results: Different levels of exposure to extremely low-frequency magnetic field doses caused increases in Ca levels and increased apoptosis in the rat brain. As the applied extremely low-frequency magnetic field levels increased, so did the apoptosis and Ca levels in the brain tissues. Conclusion: Extremely low-frequency magnetic field exposure caused neurodegeneration in rat brain tissue, increased apoptosis, and increased Ca concentration. These changes may cause various biological damage, especially cancer in healthy tissues and measures should be taken to minimize extremely low-frequency magnetic field exposure in daily life in terms of protecting public health. Open access paper: dergipark.org.tr

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

PopulationAdult male Wistar rats

Sample size35

ExposureELF · 4 hours/day, 5 days/week for 30 days

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: unknown

Main findings

Outcomes measured

Apoptosis in rat brain tissue
Neurodegeneration in rat brain tissue
Trace element levels in brain tissue (Ca)
Histopathological changes
Immunohistochemical changes

Limitations

Exposure source/context beyond Helmholtz coils not specified in abstract
No quantitative effect sizes or statistical details reported in abstract
Only adult male rats studied; generalizability to other populations/species not addressed in abstract

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "animal",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "ELF",
    "source": null,
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "4 hours/day, 5 days/week for 30 days"
  },
  "population": "Adult male Wistar rats",
  "sample_size": 35,
  "outcomes": [
    "Apoptosis in rat brain tissue",
    "Neurodegeneration in rat brain tissue",
    "Trace element levels in brain tissue (Ca)",
    "Histopathological changes",
    "Immunohistochemical changes"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Rats exposed to 50 Hz extremely low-frequency magnetic fields at 1 mT, 1.5 mT, and 2 mT showed increased apoptosis and increased Ca levels in brain tissue compared with controls. The abstract reports that higher field levels were associated with greater apoptosis and Ca levels, and concludes that ELF magnetic field exposure caused neurodegeneration in rat brain tissue.",
  "effect_direction": "harm",
  "limitations": [
    "Exposure source/context beyond Helmholtz coils not specified in abstract",
    "No quantitative effect sizes or statistical details reported in abstract",
    "Only adult male rats studied; generalizability to other populations/species not addressed in abstract"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "unknown",
  "keywords": [
    "extremely low-frequency magnetic field",
    "ELF",
    "50 Hz",
    "1 mT",
    "1.5 mT",
    "2 mT",
    "rat brain",
    "apoptosis",
    "neurodegeneration",
    "trace elements",
    "calcium",
    "Helmholtz coils"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "occupational-exposure",
      "weight": 0.32,
      "reason": "Exposure levels are discussed as within public environmental and occupational guideline limits, though the study is an animal experiment."
    }
  ]
}

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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: Not supplied
PubMed: Not supplied

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