Cell phone use is associated with an inflammatory cytokine profile of parotid gland saliva

2016 · Harm · Low evidence

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HarmLow evidencePaper 1365

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2016

Study typecross_sectional

Reported directionHarm

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Cell phone use is associated with an inflammatory cytokine profile of parotid gland saliva Siqueira EC, de Souza FT, Ferreira E, Souza RP, Macedo SC, Friedman E, Gomez MV, Gomes CC, Gomez RS. Cell phone use is associated with an inflammatory cytokine profile of parotid gland saliva.. J Oral. Pathol Med. 45(9):682-686. doi: 10.1111/jop.12434. 2016. Abstract BACKGROUND: There is controversy on the effects of the non-ionizing radiation emitted by cell phones on cellular processes and the impact of such radiation exposure on health. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether cell phone use alters cytokine expression in the saliva produced by the parotid glands. METHODS: Cytokine expression profile was determined by enzyme linked immuno sorbent assay (ELISA) in the saliva produced by the parotid glands in healthy volunteers, and correlated with self-reported cell phone use and laterality. RESULTS: The following parameters were determined, in 83 Brazilian individuals in saliva produced by the parotid glands comparing the saliva from the gland exposed to cell phone radiation (ipsilateral) to that from the contralateral parotid: salivary flow, total protein concentration, interleukin 1 β (IL-1 β), interleukin 6 (IL-6), interleukin 10 (IL-10), interferon γ (IFN-γ), and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) salivary levels by ELISA. After multiple testing correction, decreased IL-10 and increased IL-1β salivary levels in the ipsilateral side compared with the contralateral side (P < 0.05) were detected. Subjects who used cell phones for more than 10 years presented higher differences between IL-10 levels in ipsilateral versus contralateral parotids (P = 0.0012). No difference was observed in any of the tested parameters in correlation with cell phone monthly usage in minutes. CONCLUSION: The exposure of parotid glands to cell phones can alter salivary IL-10 and IL-1β levels, consistent with a pro-inflammatory microenvironment that may be related to heat production. 1.usa.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 typecross_sectional

Effect directionharm

PopulationHealthy volunteers (Brazilian individuals)

Sample size83

Exposureself-reported use; >10 years subgroup mentioned

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 74% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

In 83 individuals, IL-10 was decreased and IL-1β increased in saliva from the parotid gland on the side exposed to cell phone use (ipsilateral) compared with the contralateral side after multiple testing correction (P<0.05). Participants reporting >10 years of cell phone use had larger ipsilateral-versus-contralateral differences in IL-10 (P=0.0012). No differences in tested parameters were observed in relation to self-reported monthly usage minutes.

Outcomes measured

Parotid gland saliva cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10, IFN-γ, TNF-α)
Salivary flow
Total protein concentration
Ipsilateral vs contralateral parotid differences
Association with years of cell phone use (>10 years)
Association with monthly usage minutes

Limitations

Exposure based on self-reported cell phone use and laterality
Frequency/SAR and other exposure metrics not reported
Cross-sectional/within-subject comparison limits causal inference
Potential confounding (e.g., heat effects) not directly measured

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "cross_sectional",
  "exposure": {
    "band": null,
    "source": "mobile phone",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "self-reported use; >10 years subgroup mentioned"
  },
  "population": "Healthy volunteers (Brazilian individuals)",
  "sample_size": 83,
  "outcomes": [
    "Parotid gland saliva cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10, IFN-γ, TNF-α)",
    "Salivary flow",
    "Total protein concentration",
    "Ipsilateral vs contralateral parotid differences",
    "Association with years of cell phone use (>10 years)",
    "Association with monthly usage minutes"
  ],
  "main_findings": "In 83 individuals, IL-10 was decreased and IL-1β increased in saliva from the parotid gland on the side exposed to cell phone use (ipsilateral) compared with the contralateral side after multiple testing correction (P<0.05). Participants reporting >10 years of cell phone use had larger ipsilateral-versus-contralateral differences in IL-10 (P=0.0012). No differences in tested parameters were observed in relation to self-reported monthly usage minutes.",
  "effect_direction": "harm",
  "limitations": [
    "Exposure based on self-reported cell phone use and laterality",
    "Frequency/SAR and other exposure metrics not reported",
    "Cross-sectional/within-subject comparison limits causal inference",
    "Potential confounding (e.g., heat effects) not directly measured"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.74,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "cell phone",
    "non-ionizing radiation",
    "parotid gland",
    "saliva",
    "cytokines",
    "IL-10",
    "IL-1β",
    "inflammation",
    "ELISA",
    "laterality"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "mobile-phones-rf",
      "weight": 0.9,
      "reason": "Study examines associations between cell phone use and biological markers in parotid saliva."
    }
  ]
}

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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: 10.1111/jop.12434
PubMed: Not supplied

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