Effect of high-frequency radiofrequency (6 GHz) electromagnetic radiation on oxidative stress and kidney morphology

Toxicol Ind Health · 2026 · Harm · Low evidence

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HarmLow evidencePaper 6655

Compared with control and sham, the RF-EMR exposed group had lower plasma GSH, CAT, SOD, and MDA levels (p < .001), while cortisol did not differ. The authors also report that kidney tissue histological characteristics were affected in the RF-EMR exposed grou…

Study snapshot

PublicationToxicol Ind Health · 2026

Study typeanimal

Reported directionHarm

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the effects of high-frequency (6 GHz) radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation (RF-EMR) exposure on oxidative stress markers and kidney morphology. Our study was designed with 3 groups, each containing 10 animals. These groups were: control, sham, and RF-EMR exposed group. No treatment was applied to the control group; the sham group was housed in the same room under the same conditions and for equal periods of time, except that the generator was turned off. The RF-EMR exposed group was exposed to 6 GHz RF-EMR emitted from the signal generator for 4 hours per day for 6 weeks. At the end of the experimental period, intracardiac blood was collected from animals and plasma oxidant (MDA), antioxidant (SOD, CAT and GSH) and cortisol markers were analyzed. After, the rats in all groups were sacrificed and kidney tissues were removed. Hematoxylin and eosin staining methods were applied histopathologically. Blood-plasma GSH, CAT, SOD and MDA levels (excluding cortisol) were lower in the RF-EMR exposed group compared to the control and sham groups (p < .001). No significant difference was observed in plasma levels GSH, CAT, SOD, MDA and cortisol activities between control and sham groups. In addition, we reported that the histological characteristics of kidney tissue were affected by RF-EMR. The results of our study indicated that 6 GHz RF-EMR can function as an environmental stress factor and can modulate oxidative stress in blood plasma and cause morphological changes in kidney tissue.

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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 (animals)

Sample size30

ExposureRF · 6000 MHz · 4 hours/day for 6 weeks

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Outcomes measured

Plasma malondialdehyde (MDA)
Plasma antioxidant markers (SOD, CAT, GSH)
Plasma cortisol
Kidney histopathology/morphology (H&E staining)

Limitations

No SAR or dosimetry details reported in the abstract
Animal study; generalizability to humans is uncertain
Direction/interpretation of oxidative stress markers is not fully clarified in the abstract (both oxidant and antioxidant markers reported as lower)
Kidney histology findings are described qualitatively without specific lesion types or scoring in the abstract

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "animal",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF",
    "source": "signal generator",
    "frequency_mhz": 6000,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "4 hours/day for 6 weeks"
  },
  "population": "Rats (animals)",
  "sample_size": 30,
  "outcomes": [
    "Plasma malondialdehyde (MDA)",
    "Plasma antioxidant markers (SOD, CAT, GSH)",
    "Plasma cortisol",
    "Kidney histopathology/morphology (H&E staining)"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Compared with control and sham, the RF-EMR exposed group had lower plasma GSH, CAT, SOD, and MDA levels (p < .001), while cortisol did not differ. The authors also report that kidney tissue histological characteristics were affected in the RF-EMR exposed group.",
  "effect_direction": "harm",
  "limitations": [
    "No SAR or dosimetry details reported in the abstract",
    "Animal study; generalizability to humans is uncertain",
    "Direction/interpretation of oxidative stress markers is not fully clarified in the abstract (both oxidant and antioxidant markers reported as lower)",
    "Kidney histology findings are described qualitatively without specific lesion types or scoring in the abstract"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "6 GHz",
    "radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation",
    "RF-EMR",
    "oxidative stress",
    "kidney morphology",
    "histopathology",
    "MDA",
    "SOD",
    "CAT",
    "GSH",
    "cortisol",
    "rats"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "5g-policy",
      "weight": 0.35,
      "reason": "Exposure frequency (6 GHz) overlaps with upper sub-6 GHz range relevant to 5G discussions, though this is an animal experiment rather than policy."
    }
  ]
}

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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: 10.1177/07482337261422845
PubMed: 41701901

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