Effects of mobile phone EMF exposure on serum hepcidin and iron status in male albino rats

2018 · Harm · Low evidence

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HarmLow evidencePaper 1987

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2018

Study typeanimal

Reported directionHarm

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Effects of mobile phone EMF exposure on serum hepcidin and iron status in male albino rats El-Maleky NF, Ebrahim RH. Effects of exposure to electromagnetic field from mobile phone on serum hepcidin and iron status in male albino rats. Electromagn Biol Med. 2018 Nov 2:1-8. doi: 10.1080/15368378.2018.1531423. Abstract BACKGROUND: Electromagnetic fields (EMF) created by mobile phones during communication have harmful effects on different organs. OBJECTIVES: To explore the effects of exposure to EMF of mobile phones for different durations on hematological parameters and serum hepcidin in male albino rats. METHODS: Three groups of eight rats: Sham group: rats were exposed to a mobile phone while it was switched off, Experimental group I: rats were exposed to microwave radiation from a mobile phone at 9 am for 30 min. Experimental group II: rats were exposed to microwave radiations from a mobile phone at 9 am for an hour. In all groups, the exposure was conducted daily for a total period of 5 months, followed by estimation of serum hepcidin, total leukocyte count (TLC), interleukin 6 (IL6), serum iron, serum ferritin, plasma hemoglobin (Hb), hematocrit value (Hct), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), unsaturated iron binding capacity (UIBC), total iron binding capacity (TIBC) and 1.25 dihydroxycholecalciferol levels. RESULTS: In Experimental group II, there was a significant increase in serum hepcidin, TLC, IL6 and serum ferritin; however, serum iron, TIBC, UIBC, 1.25 dihydroxycholecalciferol, plasma Hb, Hct, MCV and MCH were significantly lower in comparison to sham-exposed group. In Experimental group I, there was a significant increase in serum hepcidin, IL6 and TLC, along with non-significant changes in the remaining studied parameters in comparison to the sham-exposed group. CONCLUSION: Chronic exposure to EMF from mobile phones increases hepcidin level with subsequent impairment of iron parameters, in addition to negatively affecting both UIBC and TIBC. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Machine Enhanced Logic

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

PopulationMale albino rats

Sample size24

Exposuremicrowave · Daily exposure for 5 months; 30 min/day (group I) or 1 hour/day (group II) at 9 am

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Compared with sham exposure (phone switched off), the 1-hour/day group showed significant increases in serum hepcidin, TLC, IL6, and ferritin, and significant decreases in serum iron, TIBC, UIBC, 1.25 dihydroxycholecalciferol, Hb, Hct, MCV, and MCH. The 30-min/day group showed significant increases in serum hepcidin, IL6, and TLC, with non-significant changes in the remaining parameters.

Outcomes measured

Serum hepcidin
Total leukocyte count (TLC)
Interleukin 6 (IL6)
Serum iron
Serum ferritin
Plasma hemoglobin (Hb)
Hematocrit (Hct)
Mean corpuscular volume (MCV)
Mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH)
Unsaturated iron binding capacity (UIBC)
Total iron binding capacity (TIBC)
1.25 dihydroxycholecalciferol levels

Limitations

Frequency and SAR/exposure intensity not reported in the abstract
Animal study; generalizability to humans is uncertain
Exposure characterization limited to duration and phone on/off condition in the abstract

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "animal",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "microwave",
    "source": "mobile phone",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "Daily exposure for 5 months; 30 min/day (group I) or 1 hour/day (group II) at 9 am"
  },
  "population": "Male albino rats",
  "sample_size": 24,
  "outcomes": [
    "Serum hepcidin",
    "Total leukocyte count (TLC)",
    "Interleukin 6 (IL6)",
    "Serum iron",
    "Serum ferritin",
    "Plasma hemoglobin (Hb)",
    "Hematocrit (Hct)",
    "Mean corpuscular volume (MCV)",
    "Mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH)",
    "Unsaturated iron binding capacity (UIBC)",
    "Total iron binding capacity (TIBC)",
    "1.25 dihydroxycholecalciferol levels"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Compared with sham exposure (phone switched off), the 1-hour/day group showed significant increases in serum hepcidin, TLC, IL6, and ferritin, and significant decreases in serum iron, TIBC, UIBC, 1.25 dihydroxycholecalciferol, Hb, Hct, MCV, and MCH. The 30-min/day group showed significant increases in serum hepcidin, IL6, and TLC, with non-significant changes in the remaining parameters.",
  "effect_direction": "harm",
  "limitations": [
    "Frequency and SAR/exposure intensity not reported in the abstract",
    "Animal study; generalizability to humans is uncertain",
    "Exposure characterization limited to duration and phone on/off condition in the abstract"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "mobile phone",
    "electromagnetic field",
    "microwave radiation",
    "rats",
    "hepcidin",
    "iron status",
    "ferritin",
    "interleukin 6",
    "hematological parameters",
    "TIBC",
    "UIBC"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "mobile-phones",
      "weight": 0.9,
      "reason": "Exposure source is a mobile phone during communication (microwave radiation)."
    }
  ]
}

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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: 10.1080/15368378.2018.1531423
PubMed: Not supplied

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