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Investigation of gene expression levels in thyroid tissues of rats treated with Wi-Fi electromagnetic wave (2.4– 3 GHz Wi-Fi RF-EMF)

2023 · Mixed · Low evidence

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MixedLow evidencePaper 425

In 20 female rats (10 exposed, 10 control), 30 days of Wi‑Fi RF-EMF exposure was associated with significant increases (P<0.05) in expression levels for many of the investigated thyroid-tissue genes compared with controls. The highlights/abstract indicate tha…

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2023
Study typeanimal
Reported directionMixed
Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Investigation of gene expression levels in thyroid tissues of rats treated with Wi-Fi electromagnetic wave (2.4– 3 GHz Wi-Fi RF-EMF) Serin M, Soylu S, Durna Daştan S, Koç S, Atilla Kurt A. Investigation of gene expression levels in thyroid tissues of rats treated with Wi-Fi electromagnetic wave (2.4–3 GHz Wi-Fi RF-EMF). Journal of Molecular Structure. 1288, 2023. doi: 10.1016/j.molstruc.2023.135741. Highlights In this study, the changes in the gene expression levels of 12 different genes in the thyroid tissues of rats exposed to electromagnetic field for 30 days were determined. It was determined that all genes except the ATG5 and ATG12 genes were increased in the experimental group exposed to Wi-Fi. Comparison of the expressions of various genes after Wi-Fi exposure has been made for the first time and serves as a guide for future studies. Abstract In this study, it was aimed to examine the effects of wireless waves applied to rats in the thyroid tissue by evaluating gene expression levels on 12 determined gene regions. 20 healthy 16-week-old Wistar albino female rats weighting 200–220 g were used. In the experiments, two groups, control and experimental groups, were formed, and ten female rats were used in each group. While WI-FI electromagnetic field was applied to the experimental group of these rats, nothing was applied to the control group. Many different gene regions, including beta catenin, beta-actin, GAPDH, L3B, HIF 1-Alpha, GSk-3B, TCF, WNT7a, WNT10a, WNT2, Beclin 1 and Beclin 2, ATG5 and ATG12, were investigated. ACTB and GAPDH gene primers were used as a house keeping gene. The fold change values were calculated statistically from the data obtained from the gene expression results. Compared to the control group, it was observed that the experimental group had significant increases in gene expression levels of many gene regions investigated in the study (P<0.05). Among the study groups, 12 different genes such as beta catenin, beta-actin, GAPDH, L3B, HIF 1-Alpha, GSk-3B, TCF, WNT7a, WNT10a, WNT2, Beclin 1 and Beclin 2, ATG5 and ATG12, which we have determined according to the literature, are known to be related to autophagy and oxidative stress. When the expression levels were investigated, it was determined that the expression coefficients of all the genes studied in the wnt/ß catenin pathway in the experimental group of rats exposed to the Wi-Fi EM field, except for ATG5 and ATG12, were quite high, and there was significant differences between the groups. Conclusion Finally, the experiment of applying wireless electromagnetic wave exposure to rats showed that electromagnetic field application could change the expression coefficients of some genes that we examined related to the WNT/beta-catenin pathway. However, studies with other molecules such as proteins and enzymes are needed to determine the effects of these experiments with Wi-Fi-EMF on the gene at the cellular level. Nevertheless, the results of our study are important because they provide data that will raise awareness in people. It also serves as a guide for future work in this field. sciencedirect.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 typeanimal
Effect directionmixed
PopulationWistar albino female rats (16-week-old; 200–220 g)
Sample size20
ExposureRF · 30 days
Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 74% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

In 20 female rats (10 exposed, 10 control), 30 days of Wi‑Fi RF-EMF exposure was associated with significant increases (P<0.05) in expression levels for many of the investigated thyroid-tissue genes compared with controls. The highlights/abstract indicate that all genes except ATG5 and ATG12 increased in the Wi‑Fi-exposed group.

Outcomes measured

  • Thyroid tissue gene expression levels (fold change) for genes related to WNT/β-catenin pathway, autophagy, and oxidative stress (e.g., beta catenin, ACTB, GAPDH, LC3B, HIF-1α, GSK-3β, TCF, WNT7a, WNT10a, WNT2, Beclin 1, Beclin 2, ATG5, ATG12)

Limitations

  • Exposure metrics beyond a broad frequency range (e.g., exact frequency, power density, SAR) not reported in the abstract
  • Small sample size (n=10 per group)
  • Outcome limited to mRNA/gene expression; authors note need for studies of proteins/enzymes to assess cellular-level effects
  • Details of exposure setup and blinding/randomization not described in the abstract
View raw extracted JSON
{
  "study_type": "animal",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF",
    "source": "wi-fi",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "30 days"
  },
  "population": "Wistar albino female rats (16-week-old; 200–220 g)",
  "sample_size": 20,
  "outcomes": [
    "Thyroid tissue gene expression levels (fold change) for genes related to WNT/β-catenin pathway, autophagy, and oxidative stress (e.g., beta catenin, ACTB, GAPDH, LC3B, HIF-1α, GSK-3β, TCF, WNT7a, WNT10a, WNT2, Beclin 1, Beclin 2, ATG5, ATG12)"
  ],
  "main_findings": "In 20 female rats (10 exposed, 10 control), 30 days of Wi‑Fi RF-EMF exposure was associated with significant increases (P<0.05) in expression levels for many of the investigated thyroid-tissue genes compared with controls. The highlights/abstract indicate that all genes except ATG5 and ATG12 increased in the Wi‑Fi-exposed group.",
  "effect_direction": "mixed",
  "limitations": [
    "Exposure metrics beyond a broad frequency range (e.g., exact frequency, power density, SAR) not reported in the abstract",
    "Small sample size (n=10 per group)",
    "Outcome limited to mRNA/gene expression; authors note need for studies of proteins/enzymes to assess cellular-level effects",
    "Details of exposure setup and blinding/randomization not described in the abstract"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.74,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "Wi-Fi",
    "RF-EMF",
    "2.4–3 GHz",
    "rat",
    "thyroid",
    "gene expression",
    "WNT/β-catenin pathway",
    "autophagy",
    "oxidative stress",
    "LC3B",
    "HIF-1α",
    "Beclin",
    "ATG5",
    "ATG12"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "school-wi-fi",
      "weight": 0.55,
      "reason": "Study explicitly examines biological effects of Wi‑Fi RF-EMF exposure (though in rats, not a school setting)."
    }
  ]
}
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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: 10.1016/j.molstruc.2023.135741
PubMed: Not supplied

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