A primary study on rat fetal development and brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels under the control of electromagnetic fields

2023 · Harm · Low evidence

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HarmLow evidencePaper 409

Anthropometric measurements indicated that EMF exposure blocked body growth in exposed rats’ offspring. BDNF levels in the EMF group were reported as remarkably decreased compared with controls.

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2023

Study typeanimal

Reported directionHarm

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

A primary study on rat fetal development and brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels under the control of electromagnetic fields DastAmooz S, Broujeni ST, Sarahian N. A primary study on rat fetal development and brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels under the control of electromagnetic fields. J Public Health Afr. 2023 Apr 19;14(6):2347. doi: 10.4081/jphia.2023.2347. Abstract Background In previous researches, electromagnetic fields have been shown to adversely affect the behavior and biology of humans and animals; however, body growth and brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels were not evaluated. Objective The original investigation aimed to examine whether Electromagnetic Fields (EMF) exposure had adverse effects on spatial learning and motor function in rats and if physical activity could diminish the damaging effects of EMF exposure. In this study, we measured anthropometric measurements and brain- derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels in pregnant rats’ offspring to determine if Wi-Fi EMF also affected their growth. These data we report for the first time in this publication. Methods Twenty Albino-Wistar pregnant rats were divided randomly into EMF and control (CON) groups, and after delivery, 12 male fetuses were randomly selected. For assessing the body growth change of offspring beginning at delivery, then at 21 postnatal days, and finally at 56 post-natal days, the crown-rump length of the body was assessed using a digital caliper. Examining BDNF factor levels, an Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay ELISA kit was taken. Bodyweight was recorded by digital scale. Results Outcomes of the anthropometric measurements demonstrated that EMF blocked body growth in rats exposed to EMF. The results of the BDNF test illustrated that the BDNF in the EMF liter group was remarkably decreased compared to the CON group. The results indicate that EMF exposure could affect BDNF levels and harm body growth in pregnant rats’ offspring. Conclusions The results suggest that EMF exposure could affect BDNF levels and impair body growth in pregnant rats’ offspring. Open access paper: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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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 typeanimal

Effect directionharm

PopulationAlbino-Wistar pregnant rats and their offspring (male fetuses/offspring)

Sample size20

ExposureRF

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 74% · Peer reviewed: unknown

Main findings

Anthropometric measurements indicated that EMF exposure blocked body growth in exposed rats’ offspring. BDNF levels in the EMF group were reported as remarkably decreased compared with controls.

Outcomes measured

Offspring body growth (crown-rump length)
Offspring body weight
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels

Limitations

Exposure parameters (e.g., frequency, intensity/SAR, duration) not reported in the abstract
Small sample described for offspring assessment (12 male fetuses selected)
Only male offspring/fetuses mentioned
Animal study; generalizability to humans is uncertain

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "animal",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF",
    "source": "Wi-Fi",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": null
  },
  "population": "Albino-Wistar pregnant rats and their offspring (male fetuses/offspring)",
  "sample_size": 20,
  "outcomes": [
    "Offspring body growth (crown-rump length)",
    "Offspring body weight",
    "Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Anthropometric measurements indicated that EMF exposure blocked body growth in exposed rats’ offspring. BDNF levels in the EMF group were reported as remarkably decreased compared with controls.",
  "effect_direction": "harm",
  "limitations": [
    "Exposure parameters (e.g., frequency, intensity/SAR, duration) not reported in the abstract",
    "Small sample described for offspring assessment (12 male fetuses selected)",
    "Only male offspring/fetuses mentioned",
    "Animal study; generalizability to humans is uncertain"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.74,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "unknown",
  "keywords": [
    "electromagnetic fields",
    "EMF",
    "Wi-Fi",
    "pregnant rats",
    "offspring",
    "fetal development",
    "body growth",
    "anthropometric measurements",
    "BDNF",
    "ELISA"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "school-wi-fi",
      "weight": 0.55,
      "reason": "Exposure source described as Wi-Fi EMF (RF), though setting is animal laboratory rather than schools."
    }
  ]
}

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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: 10.4081/jphia.2023.2347
PubMed: Not supplied

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