Biochemical & pathological changes in male rat kidney & bladder following exposure to continuous 900-MHz EMF on postnatal days 22-59

2017 · Harm · Low evidence

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HarmLow evidencePaper 2380

Compared with control and sham groups, the EMF-exposed group had increased malondialdehyde and decreased catalase and glutathione in kidney and bladder tissues. Histopathological changes and increased cells tending to apoptosis were reported in kidney (tubula…

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2017
Study typeanimal
Reported directionHarm
Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Biochemical & pathological changes in male rat kidney & bladder following exposure to continuous 900-MHz EMF on postnatal days 22-59 Türedi S, Kerimoğlu G, Mercantepe T, Odacı E. Biochemical and pathological changes in the male rat kidney and bladder following exposure to continuous 900-MHz electromagnetic field on postnatal days 22-59. Int J Radiat Biol. 2017 Jul 27:1-10. doi: 10.1080/09553002.2017.1350768. Abstract PURPOSE: To investigate the effect on male rat kidney and bladder tissues of exposure to 900-megahertz (MHz) electromagnetic field (EMF) applied on postnatal days 22-59, inclusive. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-four male Sprague Dawley rats, aged 21 days, were used. These were divided equally into one of three groups, control (CG), sham (SG) or EMF (EMFG). CG was not exposed to any procedure. SG rats were kept inside a cage, without being exposed to the effect of EMF, for 1 h a day on postnatal days 22-59, inclusive. EMFG rats were exposed to continuous 900-MHz EMF for 1 h a day under the same conditions as those for the SG rats. Rats were sacrificed on postnatal day 60, and the kidney and bladder tissues were removed. Tissues were stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and Masson trichrome for histomorphological evaluation. The TUNEL method was used to assess apoptosis. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was also used for the kidney tissue. Oxidant/antioxidant parameters were studied in terms of biochemical values. RESULTS: The findings showed that tissue malondialdehyde increased in EMFG compared to CG and SG in both kidney (p = 0.004 and p = 0.004, respectively) and bladder tissue (p = 0.004, p = 0.006, respectively), while catalase and glutathione levels decreased compared to CG (p = 0.004; p = 0.004, respectively) and SG (p = 0.004; p = 0.004, respectively). In the EMF group, pathologies such as dilatation and vacuolization in the distal and proximal tubules, degeneration in glomeruli and an increase in cells tending to apoptosis were observed in kidney tissue. In bladder tissue, degeneration in the transitional epithelium and stromal irregularity and an increase in cells tending to apoptosis were observed in EMFG. Additionally, EMFG samples exhibited glomerular capillary degeneration with capillary basement membranes under TEM. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that continuous exposure to the effect of 900-MHz EMF for 1 h a day on postnatal days 22-59, inclusive, causes an increase in oxidative stress and various pathological changes in male rat kidney and bladder tissues. 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
PopulationMale Sprague Dawley rats (postnatal days 22–59 exposure; sacrificed day 60)
Sample size24
ExposureRF · 900 MHz · 1 h/day on postnatal days 22–59 (continuous 900-MHz EMF exposure)
Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 86% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Compared with control and sham groups, the EMF-exposed group had increased malondialdehyde and decreased catalase and glutathione in kidney and bladder tissues. Histopathological changes and increased cells tending to apoptosis were reported in kidney (tubular dilatation/vacuolization, glomerular degeneration) and bladder (transitional epithelium degeneration, stromal irregularity), with TEM showing glomerular capillary degeneration.

Outcomes measured

  • Kidney oxidative stress markers (malondialdehyde, catalase, glutathione)
  • Bladder oxidative stress markers (malondialdehyde, catalase, glutathione)
  • Kidney histopathology (H&E, Masson trichrome)
  • Bladder histopathology (H&E, Masson trichrome)
  • Apoptosis (TUNEL) in kidney and bladder
  • Kidney ultrastructure (TEM)

Limitations

  • Animal study; findings may not generalize to humans
  • Exposure metric reported as frequency and duration; SAR/dosimetry not provided in abstract
  • Short-term developmental exposure window (postnatal days 22–59) with assessment at day 60
View raw extracted JSON
{
  "study_type": "animal",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF",
    "source": null,
    "frequency_mhz": 900,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "1 h/day on postnatal days 22–59 (continuous 900-MHz EMF exposure)"
  },
  "population": "Male Sprague Dawley rats (postnatal days 22–59 exposure; sacrificed day 60)",
  "sample_size": 24,
  "outcomes": [
    "Kidney oxidative stress markers (malondialdehyde, catalase, glutathione)",
    "Bladder oxidative stress markers (malondialdehyde, catalase, glutathione)",
    "Kidney histopathology (H&E, Masson trichrome)",
    "Bladder histopathology (H&E, Masson trichrome)",
    "Apoptosis (TUNEL) in kidney and bladder",
    "Kidney ultrastructure (TEM)"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Compared with control and sham groups, the EMF-exposed group had increased malondialdehyde and decreased catalase and glutathione in kidney and bladder tissues. Histopathological changes and increased cells tending to apoptosis were reported in kidney (tubular dilatation/vacuolization, glomerular degeneration) and bladder (transitional epithelium degeneration, stromal irregularity), with TEM showing glomerular capillary degeneration.",
  "effect_direction": "harm",
  "limitations": [
    "Animal study; findings may not generalize to humans",
    "Exposure metric reported as frequency and duration; SAR/dosimetry not provided in abstract",
    "Short-term developmental exposure window (postnatal days 22–59) with assessment at day 60"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.86,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "900 MHz",
    "RF-EMF",
    "rat",
    "kidney",
    "bladder",
    "oxidative stress",
    "malondialdehyde",
    "catalase",
    "glutathione",
    "histopathology",
    "TUNEL",
    "apoptosis",
    "TEM"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": []
}
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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: 10.1080/09553002.2017.1350768
PubMed: Not supplied

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