Effects of Microwave 10 GHz Radiation Exposure in the Skin of Rats: An Insight on Molecular Responses

Radiation research · 2021 · Harm · Low evidence

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HarmLow evidencePaper 1060

Study snapshot

PublicationRadiation research · 2021

Study typeanimal

Reported directionHarm

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Effects of Microwave 10 GHz Radiation Exposure in the Skin of Rats: An Insight on Molecular Responses Saurabh Verma, Gaurav K Keshri, Santanu Karmakar, Kumar Vyonkesh Mani, Satish Chauhan, Anju Yadav, Manish Sharma, Asheesh Gupta. Effects of Microwave 10 GHz Radiation Exposure in the Skin of Rats: An Insight on Molecular Responses. Radiat Res. 2021 Aug 18. doi: 10.1667/RADE-20-00155.1. Abstract Microwave (MW) radiation poses the risk of potential hazards on human health. The present study investigated the effects of MW 10 GHz exposure for 3 h/day for 30 days at power densities of 5.23 ± 0.25 and 10.01 ± 0.15 mW/cm2 in the skin of rats. The animals exposed to 10 mW/cm2 (corresponded to twice the ICNIRP-2020 occupational reference level of MW exposure for humans) exhibited significant biophysical, biochemical, molecular and histological alterations compared to sham-irradiated animals. Infrared thermography revealed an increase in average skin surface temperature by 1.8°C and standard deviation of 0.3°C after 30 days of 10 mW/cm2 MW exposure compared to the sham-irradiated animals. MW exposure also led to oxidative stress (ROS, 4-HNE, LPO, AOPP), inflammatory responses (NFkB, iNOS/NOS2, COX-2) and metabolic alterations [hexokinase (HK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), citrate synthase (CS) and glucose-6-phospahte dehydrogenase (G6PD)] in 10 mW/cm2 irradiated rat skin. A significant alteration in expression of markers associated with cell survival (Akt/PKB) and HSP27/p38MAPK-related stress-response signaling cascade was observed in 10 mW/cm2 irradiated rat skin compared to sham-irradiated rat skin. However, MW-irradiated groups did not show apoptosis, evident by unchanged caspase-3 levels. Histopathological analysis revealed a mild cytoarchitectural alteration in epidermal layer and slight aggregation of leukocytes in 10 mW/cm2 irradiated rat skin. Altogether, the present findings demonstrated that 10 GHz exposure in continuous-wave mode at 10 mW/cm2 (3 h/day, 30 days) led to significant alterations in molecular markers associated with adaptive stress-response in rat skin. Furthermore, systematic scientific studies on more prevalent pulsed-mode of MW-radiation exposure for prolonged duration are warranted. pubmed.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

PopulationRats (skin)

Sample sizeNot supplied

Exposuremicrowave · 10000 MHz · 3 h/day for 30 days; continuous-wave; power densities 5.23 ± 0.25 and 10.01 ± 0.15 mW/cm2

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Rats exposed to 10 GHz at 10 mW/cm2 (3 h/day for 30 days) showed increased skin surface temperature (~1.8°C) and significant changes in oxidative stress, inflammatory, metabolic, and stress-response signaling markers versus sham. Caspase-3 levels were unchanged (no evidence of apoptosis), and histology showed mild epidermal cytoarchitectural alteration with slight leukocyte aggregation at 10 mW/cm2.

Outcomes measured

Skin surface temperature (infrared thermography)
Biophysical/biochemical/molecular alterations in skin
Oxidative stress markers (ROS, 4-HNE, LPO, AOPP)
Inflammatory markers (NFkB, iNOS/NOS2, COX-2)
Metabolic enzymes/markers (HK, LDH, CS, G6PD)
Cell survival/stress signaling markers (Akt/PKB, HSP27/p38MAPK)
Apoptosis marker (caspase-3)
Histopathology (epidermal cytoarchitecture, leukocyte aggregation)

Limitations

Sample size not reported in abstract
Only rat skin studied; generalizability to humans not addressed in abstract
Exposure described as continuous-wave; authors note need for studies on pulsed-mode exposure
Lower power density group (5.23 mW/cm2) results not detailed in abstract

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "animal",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "microwave",
    "source": null,
    "frequency_mhz": 10000,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "3 h/day for 30 days; continuous-wave; power densities 5.23 ± 0.25 and 10.01 ± 0.15 mW/cm2"
  },
  "population": "Rats (skin)",
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "Skin surface temperature (infrared thermography)",
    "Biophysical/biochemical/molecular alterations in skin",
    "Oxidative stress markers (ROS, 4-HNE, LPO, AOPP)",
    "Inflammatory markers (NFkB, iNOS/NOS2, COX-2)",
    "Metabolic enzymes/markers (HK, LDH, CS, G6PD)",
    "Cell survival/stress signaling markers (Akt/PKB, HSP27/p38MAPK)",
    "Apoptosis marker (caspase-3)",
    "Histopathology (epidermal cytoarchitecture, leukocyte aggregation)"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Rats exposed to 10 GHz at 10 mW/cm2 (3 h/day for 30 days) showed increased skin surface temperature (~1.8°C) and significant changes in oxidative stress, inflammatory, metabolic, and stress-response signaling markers versus sham. Caspase-3 levels were unchanged (no evidence of apoptosis), and histology showed mild epidermal cytoarchitectural alteration with slight leukocyte aggregation at 10 mW/cm2.",
  "effect_direction": "harm",
  "limitations": [
    "Sample size not reported in abstract",
    "Only rat skin studied; generalizability to humans not addressed in abstract",
    "Exposure described as continuous-wave; authors note need for studies on pulsed-mode exposure",
    "Lower power density group (5.23 mW/cm2) results not detailed in abstract"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "10 GHz",
    "microwave radiation",
    "rat skin",
    "power density",
    "continuous-wave",
    "ICNIRP-2020 occupational reference level",
    "oxidative stress",
    "inflammation",
    "NFkB",
    "iNOS",
    "COX-2",
    "HSP27",
    "p38MAPK",
    "Akt/PKB",
    "infrared thermography",
    "histopathology"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "who-icnirp",
      "weight": 0.6,
      "reason": "Abstract explicitly references ICNIRP-2020 occupational reference level."
    },
    {
      "slug": "occupational-exposure",
      "weight": 0.45,
      "reason": "Exposure level is compared to an occupational reference level."
    }
  ]
}

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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: 10.1667/rade-20-00155.1
PubMed: 34407201

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