Biomolecular response to hour-long ultralow field microwave radiation: An effective coarse-grained model simulation

Physical review. E · 2021 · Harm · Low evidence

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HarmLow evidencePaper 1155

Study snapshot

PublicationPhysical review. E · 2021

Study typeother

Reported directionHarm

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Biomolecular response to hour-long ultralow field microwave radiation: An effective coarse-grained model simulation Anang Kumar Singh, P S Burada, Anushree Roy. Biomolecular response to hour-long ultralow field microwave radiation: An effective coarse-grained model simulation. Phys Rev E. 2021 Apr;103(4-1):042416. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevE.103.042416. Abstract Various electronic devices, which we commonly use, radiate microwaves. Such external perturbation influences the functionality of biomolecules. In an ultralow field, the cumulative response of a molecule is expected only over a time scale of hours. To study the structural dynamics of biomolecules over hours, we adopt a simple methodology for constructing the coarse-grained structure of the protein molecule and solve the Langevin equation under different working potentials. In this approach, each amino acid residue of a biomolecule is mapped onto a number of beads, a few for the backbone, and few for the side chain, depending on the complexity of its chemical structure. We choose the force field in such a way that the dynamics of the protein molecule in the presence of ultralow radiation field of microvolt/nm could be followed over the time frame of 2 h. We apply the model to describe a biomolecule, hen egg white lysozyme, and simulate its structural evolution under ultralow strength electromagnetic radiation. The simulation revealed the finer structural details, like the extent of exposure of bioactive residues and the state of the secondary structures of the molecule, further confirmed from spectroscopic measurements [details are available in Phys. Rev. E 97, 052416 (2018)10.1103/PhysRevE.97.052416 and briefly described here]. Though tested for a specific system, the model is quite general. We believe that it harnesses the potential in studying the structural dynamics of any biopolymer under external perturbation over an extended time scale. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov Summary This article aims to address the possible effect of an hour-long ultralow radiation field on a biosystem using the CG modeling technique. We obtain an optimized CG structure of a biopolymer, by considering the complexity of the chemical structure of its constituent amino acid residues. The chosen force field could reveal the dynamics of the molecule for hours. We demonstrate the efficacy of the model to study the overall topology and few finer structural details (e.g., dynamics of specific residues and secondary structures) of the HEWL molecule over an extended duration (∼2 h) under ultralow field radiation ( ∼10−7V/nm). It is computationally expensive to carry out all-atom quantum mechanical simulations over the above-mentioned time frame. Surely, the given model finds limitations (e.g., the explicit solvent effect has been neglected) and requires a higher level of optimization. Nonetheless, we believe that the approach, which we followed, is quite general and may pave a way to follow the structural dynamics of other biopolymers under an external perturbation for hours, if the solvent effect can be appreciably taken into account by the random noise in the beads' motion. It will also be interesting to test other more elegant CG models, mentioned in Sec. I of this article, to probe the effect of hour-long ultralow field radiation on biomolecules. From a biology viewpoint, we demonstrate the adverse effect of the radiation field on biomolecules, even when its strength is superlow.

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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 typeother

Effect directionharm

PopulationNot supplied

Sample sizeNot supplied

Exposuremicrowave · ~2 h

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 72% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Using a coarse-grained simulation of hen egg white lysozyme under an ultralow-strength electromagnetic radiation field (~10^-7 V/nm) over ~2 hours, the authors report changes in finer structural details such as exposure of bioactive residues and secondary structure state. The abstract notes these simulation results were further confirmed from spectroscopic measurements described in prior work.

Outcomes measured

Protein structural dynamics (topology)
Exposure of bioactive residues
Secondary structure state

Limitations

Computational coarse-grained model rather than direct in vivo/in vitro health outcomes
Explicit solvent effects neglected
Requires higher level of optimization (as stated by authors)
Spectroscopic confirmation details are referenced to prior work and not provided here

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "publication_year": 2021,
  "study_type": "other",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "microwave",
    "source": "electronic devices (general)",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "~2 h"
  },
  "population": null,
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "Protein structural dynamics (topology)",
    "Exposure of bioactive residues",
    "Secondary structure state"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Using a coarse-grained simulation of hen egg white lysozyme under an ultralow-strength electromagnetic radiation field (~10^-7 V/nm) over ~2 hours, the authors report changes in finer structural details such as exposure of bioactive residues and secondary structure state. The abstract notes these simulation results were further confirmed from spectroscopic measurements described in prior work.",
  "effect_direction": "harm",
  "limitations": [
    "Computational coarse-grained model rather than direct in vivo/in vitro health outcomes",
    "Explicit solvent effects neglected",
    "Requires higher level of optimization (as stated by authors)",
    "Spectroscopic confirmation details are referenced to prior work and not provided here"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.72,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "stance": "concern",
  "stance_confidence": 0.78,
  "summary": "This paper presents a coarse-grained modeling approach to simulate protein structural dynamics over hours under ultralow-strength microwave radiation. Applied to hen egg white lysozyme over ~2 hours at ~10^-7 V/nm, the simulation reports changes in residue exposure and secondary structure. The authors frame these effects as adverse, while noting model limitations such as neglect of explicit solvent effects.",
  "key_points": [
    "The study uses a coarse-grained (bead-based) protein model and Langevin dynamics to simulate hour-scale responses to ultralow fields.",
    "Exposure is described as ultralow-strength electromagnetic radiation (~10^-7 V/nm) over an extended duration (~2 h).",
    "The model is demonstrated on hen egg white lysozyme, tracking topology, specific residue dynamics, and secondary structure changes.",
    "The abstract states that simulation findings were confirmed by spectroscopic measurements, with details referenced to earlier work.",
    "Authors note the approach is intended to be generalizable to other biopolymers under external perturbations.",
    "Limitations include neglecting explicit solvent effects and the need for further optimization.",
    "From a biology viewpoint, the authors describe the radiation field as having an adverse effect even at superlow strength."
  ],
  "categories": [
    "In Vitro & Mechanistic",
    "RF & Microwave",
    "Modeling & Simulation"
  ],
  "tags": [
    "Coarse-Grained Model",
    "Langevin Dynamics",
    "Microwave Radiation",
    "Ultralow Field",
    "Protein Structural Dynamics",
    "Hen Egg White Lysozyme",
    "Secondary Structure",
    "Residue Exposure",
    "Spectroscopic Confirmation"
  ],
  "keywords": [
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  "social": {
    "tweet": "Coarse-grained simulations of hen egg white lysozyme under ultralow-strength microwave fields (~10^-7 V/nm) over ~2 h report changes in residue exposure and secondary structure; authors describe effects as adverse and note model limits (e.g., no explicit solvent).",
    "facebook": "A Phys Rev E paper models hour-scale protein dynamics under ultralow-strength microwave radiation using a coarse-grained approach. In simulations of hen egg white lysozyme (~2 h, ~10^-7 V/nm), the authors report changes in residue exposure and secondary structure, while noting limitations such as neglect of explicit solvent effects.",
    "linkedin": "This Phys Rev E study presents a coarse-grained modeling framework to simulate hour-long biomolecular dynamics under ultralow-strength microwave radiation. Applied to hen egg white lysozyme (~2 h, ~10^-7 V/nm), the authors report structural changes (residue exposure, secondary structure) and discuss limitations including omitted explicit solvent effects."
  }
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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: 10.1103/physreve.103.042416
PubMed: 34005990

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