Effect of mobile phone radiation on oxidative stress, inflammatory response, and contextual fear memory in Wistar rat

2020 · Mixed · Low evidence

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MixedLow evidencePaper 1556

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2020

Study typeanimal

Reported directionMixed

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Effect of mobile phone radiation on oxidative stress, inflammatory response, and contextual fear memory in Wistar rat Singh KV, Gautam R, Meena R, Nirala JP, Jha SK, Rajamani P. Effect of mobile phone radiation on oxidative stress, inflammatory response, and contextual fear memory in Wistar rat. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2020 Mar 24. doi: 10.1007/s11356-020-07916-z. Abstract In the present lifestyle, we are continuously exposed to radiofrequency electromagnetic field (RF-EMF) radiation generated mainly by mobile phones (MP). Among other organs, our brain and hippocampus in specific, is the region where effect of any environmental perturbation is most pronounced. So, this study was aimed to examine changes in major parameters (oxidative stress, level of pro-inflammatory cytokines (PICs), hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis hormones, and contextual fear conditioning) which are linked to hippocampus directly or indirectly, upon exposure to mobile phone radiofrequency electromagnetic field (MP- RF-EMF) radiation. Exposure was performed on young adult male Wistar rats for 16 weeks continuously (2 h/day) with MP-RF-EMF radiation having frequency, power density, and specific absorption rate (SAR) of 1966.1 MHz, 4.0 mW/cm2, and 0.36 W/kg, respectively. Another set of animals kept in similar conditions without any radiation exposure serves as control. Towards the end of exposure period, animals were tested for fear memory and then euthanized to measure hippocampal oxidative stress, level of circulatory PICs, and stress hormones. We observed significant increase in hippocampal oxidative stress (p < 0.05) and elevated level of circulatory PICs viz. IL-1beta (p < 0.01), IL-6 (p < 0.05), and TNF-alpha (p < 0.001) in experimental animals upon exposure to MP- RF-EMF radiation. Adrenal gland weight (p < 0.001) and level of stress hormones viz. adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) (p < 0.01) and corticosterone (CORT) (p < 0.05) were also found to increase significantly in MP- RF-EMF radiation-exposed animals as compared with control. However, alteration in contextual fear memory was not significant enough. In conclusion, current study shows that chronic exposure to MP-RF-EMF radiation emitted from mobile phones may induce oxidative stress, inflammatory response, and HPA axis deregulation. However, changes in hippocampal functionality depend on the complex interplay of several opposing factors that got affected upon MP-RF-EMF exposure. 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 directionmixed

PopulationYoung adult male Wistar rats

Sample sizeNot supplied

ExposureRF · 1966.1 MHz · 0.36 W/kg · 16 weeks continuously (2 h/day)

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

After 16 weeks of MP-RF-EMF exposure (2 h/day; 1966.1 MHz; SAR 0.36 W/kg), rats showed increased hippocampal oxidative stress and elevated circulating pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1beta, IL-6, TNF-alpha) versus controls. Adrenal gland weight and stress hormones (ACTH, corticosterone) were also significantly increased, while contextual fear memory changes were not significant.

Outcomes measured

Hippocampal oxidative stress
Circulatory pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1beta, IL-6, TNF-alpha)
HPA axis hormones (ACTH, corticosterone)
Adrenal gland weight
Contextual fear memory (fear conditioning)

Limitations

Sample size not reported in provided abstract/metadata
Only young adult male rats studied
Exposure conditions may not generalize beyond the described frequency/power density/SAR and schedule
Contextual fear memory effect reported as not significant

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "animal",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF",
    "source": "mobile phone",
    "frequency_mhz": 1966.1,
    "sar_wkg": 0.36,
    "duration": "16 weeks continuously (2 h/day)"
  },
  "population": "Young adult male Wistar rats",
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "Hippocampal oxidative stress",
    "Circulatory pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1beta, IL-6, TNF-alpha)",
    "HPA axis hormones (ACTH, corticosterone)",
    "Adrenal gland weight",
    "Contextual fear memory (fear conditioning)"
  ],
  "main_findings": "After 16 weeks of MP-RF-EMF exposure (2 h/day; 1966.1 MHz; SAR 0.36 W/kg), rats showed increased hippocampal oxidative stress and elevated circulating pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1beta, IL-6, TNF-alpha) versus controls. Adrenal gland weight and stress hormones (ACTH, corticosterone) were also significantly increased, while contextual fear memory changes were not significant.",
  "effect_direction": "mixed",
  "limitations": [
    "Sample size not reported in provided abstract/metadata",
    "Only young adult male rats studied",
    "Exposure conditions may not generalize beyond the described frequency/power density/SAR and schedule",
    "Contextual fear memory effect reported as not significant"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "RF-EMF",
    "mobile phone radiation",
    "1966.1 MHz",
    "SAR 0.36 W/kg",
    "oxidative stress",
    "hippocampus",
    "pro-inflammatory cytokines",
    "IL-1beta",
    "IL-6",
    "TNF-alpha",
    "HPA axis",
    "ACTH",
    "corticosterone",
    "contextual fear conditioning",
    "Wistar rat"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "mobile-phones",
      "weight": 0.9,
      "reason": "Exposure source is mobile phone RF-EMF."
    }
  ]
}

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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: 10.1007/s11356-020-07916-z
PubMed: Not supplied

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