Effect of low-level 1800 MHz RF radiation on the rat sciatic nerve and the protective role of paricalcitol

2018 · Harm · Low evidence

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HarmLow evidencePaper 1985

Rats exposed to 1,800 MHz RF (1 h/day for 4 weeks) showed reduced compound action potential amplitude, prolonged latency, increased MDA, increased catalase activity, and degeneration in myelinated nerve fibers. Neuropathic changes were reported as partially a…

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2018

Study typeanimal

Reported directionHarm

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Effect of low-level 1800 MHz RF radiation on the rat sciatic nerve and the protective role of paricalcitol Comelekoglu U, Aktas S, Demirbag B, Karagul MI, Yalin S, Yildirim M, Akar A, Korunur Engiz B, Sogut F, Ozbay E. Effect of low-level 1800 MHz radiofrequency radiation on the rat sciatic nerve and the protective role of paricalcitol. Bioelectromagnetics. 2018 Oct 16. doi: 10.1002/bem.22149. Abstract The nervous system is an important target of radiofrequency (RF) radiation exposure since it is the excitable component that is potentially able to interact with electromagnetic fields. The present study was designed to investigate the effects of 1,800 MHz RF radiation and the protective role of paricalcitol on the rat sciatic nerve. Rats were divided into four groups as control, paricalcitol, RF, and RF + paricalcitol. In RF groups, the rats were exposed to 1,800 MHz RF for 1 h per day for 4 weeks. Control and paricalcitol rats were kept under the same conditions without RF application. In paricalcitol groups, the rats were given 0.2 μg/kg/day paricalcitol, three times per week for 4 weeks. Amplitude and latency of nerve compound action potentials, catalase activities, malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, and ultrastructural changes of sciatic nerve were evaluated. In the RF group, a significant reduction in amplitude, prolongation in latency, an increase in the MDA level, and an increase in catalase activity and degeneration in the myelinated nerve fibers were observed. The electrophysiological and histological findings were consistent with neuropathy, and the neuropathic changes were partially ameliorated with paricalcitol administration. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov Excerpts The effects of 900-1,800 MHz RF on the nervous system have been investigated in different studies. In these studies, it was shown that exposure to RF radiation may cause changes in amygdala morphology and emotional behavior [Narayanan et al., 2018] and changes in cerebral cortex neurotransmitter release [Kim et al., 2017]. In addition, it has been reported that RF radiation may lead to cytotoxicity in hippocampal neuronal HT22 cells [Kim et al., 2017] and degenerative changes in hippocampus pyramidal cells [Hussein et al., 2016]. In a recent study, evidence was provided showing an association between mobile phone use and brain tumors, especially in people who used their mobile phones for more than 10 years [Prasad et al., 2017]. In another study, it was reported that long-term use of mobile phones was linked to an increased risk of intracranial tumors [Bortkiewicz et al., 2017]. These studies show that the nervous systems of both humans and animals are sensitive to RF. However, there are studies in the literature that suggest that exposure to RF radiation does not cause any adverse health effects [Chapman et al., 2016; Mohan et al., 2016; Sato et al., 2017]. In this study, a continuous RF radiation at 1,800 MHz was used. RF simulator (1800CW2, Everest, Adapazari, Turkey) emitting continuous or intermittent wave in 217 Hz modulation had 2 W maximum output power, 2 RF outputting channel, and a monopole antenna (Everest, Adapazari, Turkey). A galvanized plate was placed under a pie cage restrained to decrease magnetic field effect and static electric field effects.... A whole-body average E-field value was calculated from these electric field values. Average E-field was 6.05 ± 0.67 V/m. This measured E‐field value was used in an electromagnetic field solver to find the electric field distribution and to calculate SAR.... The distribution of E field and SAR are given in Figure A and B, respectively. As seen from Figure B, the maximum SAR (10 g) is 0.00421 W/kg. In the present study, the effects of 1800 MHz RF radiation on the sciatic nerve were investigated electrophysiologically, biochemically, and histologically. Our findings showed that 1,800 MHz RF radiation could cause neuropathic changes by inducing oxidative stress. Neuropathic damage was partially improved with 0.2 μg/kg/day paricalcitol, non‐hypercalcemic vitamin D analog. However, further studies should be performed by applying different doses to determine the most effective dose of paricalcitol.

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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 (rat sciatic nerve)

Sample sizeNot supplied

ExposureRF · 1800 MHz · 0.00421 W/kg · 1 h/day for 4 weeks

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Outcomes measured

Sciatic nerve compound action potential amplitude
Sciatic nerve compound action potential latency
Catalase activity
Malondialdehyde (MDA) level
Ultrastructural/histological changes of sciatic nerve (myelinated nerve fiber degeneration)
Neuropathy-consistent electrophysiological and histological findings

Limitations

Sample size not reported in provided abstract/metadata
Exposure source/context (e.g., phone vs simulator) not fully specified in metadata/abstract fields
Findings are from an animal model; human health implications not directly assessed

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "animal",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF",
    "source": null,
    "frequency_mhz": 1800,
    "sar_wkg": 0.00421,
    "duration": "1 h/day for 4 weeks"
  },
  "population": "Rats (rat sciatic nerve)",
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "Sciatic nerve compound action potential amplitude",
    "Sciatic nerve compound action potential latency",
    "Catalase activity",
    "Malondialdehyde (MDA) level",
    "Ultrastructural/histological changes of sciatic nerve (myelinated nerve fiber degeneration)",
    "Neuropathy-consistent electrophysiological and histological findings"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Rats exposed to 1,800 MHz RF (1 h/day for 4 weeks) showed reduced compound action potential amplitude, prolonged latency, increased MDA, increased catalase activity, and degeneration in myelinated nerve fibers. Neuropathic changes were reported as partially ameliorated in the RF + paricalcitol group.",
  "effect_direction": "harm",
  "limitations": [
    "Sample size not reported in provided abstract/metadata",
    "Exposure source/context (e.g., phone vs simulator) not fully specified in metadata/abstract fields",
    "Findings are from an animal model; human health implications not directly assessed"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "1800 MHz",
    "radiofrequency radiation",
    "RF",
    "SAR",
    "oxidative stress",
    "sciatic nerve",
    "neuropathy",
    "paricalcitol",
    "rat",
    "Bioelectromagnetics"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "animal-studies",
      "weight": 0.9,
      "reason": "Experimental RF exposure study in rats assessing nerve outcomes."
    }
  ]
}

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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: 10.1002/bem.22149
PubMed: Not supplied

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