Hippocampal alterations triggered by acute exposure of mice to GSM 1800 MHz mobile phone radiation

2018 · Harm · Low evidence

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HarmLow evidencePaper 2100

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2018

Study typeanimal

Reported directionHarm

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Hippocampal alterations triggered by acute exposure of mice to GSM 1800 MHz mobile phone radiation Fragopoulou AF, Polyzos A, Papadopoulou MD, Sansone A, Manta AK, Balafas E, Kostomitsopoulos N, Skouroliakou A, Chatgilialoglu C, Georgakilas A, Stravopodis DJ, Ferreri C, Thanos D, Margaritis LH. Hippocampal lipidome and transcriptome profile alterations triggered by acute exposure of mice to GSM 1800 MHz mobile phone radiation: An exploratory study. Brain Behav. 2018 May 22. Abstract BACKGROUND: The widespread use of wireless devices during the last decades is raising concerns about adverse health effects of the radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation (RF-EMR) emitted from these devices. Recent research is focusing on unraveling the underlying mechanisms of RF-EMR and potential cellular targets. The "omics" high-throughput approaches are powerful tools to investigate the global effects of RF-EMR on cellular physiology. METHODS: In this work, C57BL/6 adult male mice were whole-body exposed (nExp = 8) for 2 hr to GSM 1800 MHz mobile phone radiation at an average electric field intensity range of 4.3-17.5 V/m or sham-exposed (nSE = 8), and the RF-EMR effects on the hippocampal lipidome and transcriptome profiles were assessed 6 hr later. RESULTS: The data analysis of the phospholipid fatty acid residues revealed that the levels of four fatty acids [16:0, 16:1 (6c + 7c), 18:1 9c, eicosapentaenoic acid omega-3 (EPA, 20:5 ω3)] and the two fatty acid sums of saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids (SFA and MUFA) were significantly altered (p < 0.05) in the exposed group. The observed changes indicate a membrane remodeling response of the tissue phospholipids after nonionizing radiation exposure, reducing SFA and EPA, while increasing MUFA residues. The microarray data analysis demonstrated that the expression of 178 genes changed significantly (p < 0.05) between the two groups, revealing an impact on genes involved in critical biological processes, such as cell cycle, DNA replication and repair, cell death, cell signaling, nervous system development and function, immune system response, lipid metabolism, and carcinogenesis. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides preliminary evidence that mobile phone radiation induces hippocampal lipidome and transcriptome changes that may explain the brain proteome changes and memory deficits previously shown by our group. 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 directionharm

PopulationC57BL/6 adult male mice (whole-body exposure)

Sample size16

ExposureRF · 1800 MHz · 2 hr (acute); outcomes assessed 6 hr later

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Compared with sham exposure, mice exposed for 2 hr to GSM 1800 MHz radiation showed significant alterations in several hippocampal phospholipid fatty acid residues and in sums of saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids (p<0.05). Microarray analysis found 178 genes significantly differentially expressed (p<0.05), with reported involvement in processes including cell cycle, DNA replication/repair, cell death, signaling, nervous system development/function, immune response, lipid metabolism, and carcinogenesis.

Outcomes measured

Hippocampal lipidome (phospholipid fatty acid residues; SFA/MUFA; specific fatty acids including 16:0, 16:1, 18:1 9c, EPA 20:5 ω3)
Hippocampal transcriptome (microarray gene expression changes; 178 genes)

Limitations

Exploratory study
Small sample size (n=8 exposed; n=8 sham)
Acute exposure only; outcomes measured 6 hr post-exposure
Average electric field intensity reported (4.3–17.5 V/m) but SAR not reported in abstract

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "animal",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF",
    "source": "mobile phone",
    "frequency_mhz": 1800,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "2 hr (acute); outcomes assessed 6 hr later"
  },
  "population": "C57BL/6 adult male mice (whole-body exposure)",
  "sample_size": 16,
  "outcomes": [
    "Hippocampal lipidome (phospholipid fatty acid residues; SFA/MUFA; specific fatty acids including 16:0, 16:1, 18:1 9c, EPA 20:5 ω3)",
    "Hippocampal transcriptome (microarray gene expression changes; 178 genes)"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Compared with sham exposure, mice exposed for 2 hr to GSM 1800 MHz radiation showed significant alterations in several hippocampal phospholipid fatty acid residues and in sums of saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids (p<0.05). Microarray analysis found 178 genes significantly differentially expressed (p<0.05), with reported involvement in processes including cell cycle, DNA replication/repair, cell death, signaling, nervous system development/function, immune response, lipid metabolism, and carcinogenesis.",
  "effect_direction": "harm",
  "limitations": [
    "Exploratory study",
    "Small sample size (n=8 exposed; n=8 sham)",
    "Acute exposure only; outcomes measured 6 hr post-exposure",
    "Average electric field intensity reported (4.3–17.5 V/m) but SAR not reported in abstract"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "GSM",
    "1800 MHz",
    "mobile phone radiation",
    "RF-EMR",
    "mouse",
    "hippocampus",
    "lipidome",
    "transcriptome",
    "microarray",
    "fatty acids",
    "gene expression"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "mobile-phones-rf",
      "weight": 0.9,
      "reason": "Whole-body exposure to GSM 1800 MHz mobile phone radiation in mice."
    }
  ]
}

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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: Not supplied
PubMed: Not supplied

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