Medical/biological study (experimental study)

Analysis of proteome response to the mobile phone radiation in two types of human primary endothelial cells med./bio.

By: Nylund R, Kuster N, Leszczynski D

Published in: Proteome Sci 2010; 8 (1): 52

Aim of study (acc. to author)

To study whether exposure to 1800 MHz GSM mobile phone irradiation can affect cell proteome of two types of human primary endothelial cells (primary cell cultures).

Background/further details

Primary human umbilical vein endothelial cells (pooled from different donors) and primary human brain microvascular endothelial cells (from a single donor) were used and examined immediately after exposure. 13 independent sham exposed and exposed samples were generated from human umbilical vein endothelial cells and 11 independent sham exposed and exposed samples were generated from human brain microvascular endothelial cells.

Endpoint

molecular biosynthesis: protein expression

Exposure

- mobile communications
- digital mobile phone
- GSM

Exposure	Parameters
Exposure 1: 1,800 MHz Modulation type: pulsed Exposure duration: continuous for 1 h	SAR: 2 W/kg

Exposure 1

Main characteristics

Frequency	1,800 MHz
Type	electromagnetic field
Exposure duration	continuous for 1 h

Modulation

Modulation type	pulsed
Additional info	modulation frequencies: 2, 8, 217, 1733 Hz mean duration of 10.8 seconds for non-DTX ("talking") and 5.6 seconds for DTX ("listening")

Exposure setup

Exposure source	simulated GSM Signal
Setup	The system consisted of two identical exposure chambers mounted inside the same cell culture incubator. One of the chambers acted as a sham exposure and the other as an experimental chamber.
Sham exposure	A sham exposure was conducted.

Parameters

Measurand	Value	Type	Method	Mass	Remarks
SAR	2 W/kg	-	measured	-	-

Reference articles

Schuderer J et al. (2004): High Peak SAR Exposure Unit With Tight Exposure and Environmental Control for In Vitro Experiments at 1800 MHz
Schönborn F et al. (2001): Basis for optimization of in vitro exposure apparatus for health hazard evaluations of mobile communications

Exposed system:

intact cell/cell culture

Methods Endpoint/measurement parameters/methodology

molecular biosynthesis: protein expression (two-dimensional gel electrophoresis)

Investigated system:

isolated bio./chem. substance

Time of investigation:

after exposure

Main outcome of study (acc. to author)

The data showed numerous differences (368 protein spots) between the proteomes of sham exposed human umbilical vein endothelial cells and human brain microvascular endothelial cells. These differences are most likely representing physiological differences between endothelia in different vascular beds. However, the exposure of both types of primary endothelial cells to mobile phone irradiation did not cause any statistically significant changes in protein expression.
In conclusions, exposure of primary human endothelial cells to the mobile phone irradiation at 1800 MHz GSM signal for 1 hour (SAR of 2 W/kg) did not affect protein expression, when the proteomes were examined immediately after the end of the exposure and when the false discovery rate correction was applied to analysis. This observation agrees with earlier studies of the authors showing that the 1800 MHz GSM exposure had only very limited effect on the proteome of human endothelial cell line EA.hy926 (Nylund et al. 2009), as compared with the effect of 900 MHz GSM exposure (Nylund et al. 2006).

Study character:

medical/biological study
experimental study
full/main study
blind study

Study funded by

IT'IS Foundation (Foundation for Research on Information Technologies in Society), Zurich, Switzerland
STUK (Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority), Helsinki, Finland

Zhijian C et al. (2013): Studying the protein expression in human B lymphoblastoid cells exposed to 1.8-GHz (GSM) radiofrequency radiation (RFR) with protein microarray
Fragopoulou AF et al. (2012): Brain proteome response following whole body exposure of mice to mobile phone or wireless DECT base radiation
Sakurai T et al. (2011): Analysis of gene expression in a human-derived glial cell line exposed to 2.45 GHz continuous radiofrequency electromagnetic fields
Gerner C et al. (2010): Increased protein synthesis by cells exposed to a 1,800-MHz radio-frequency mobile phone electromagnetic field, detected by proteome profiling
Kim KB et al. (2010): Two-dimensional electrophoretic analysis of radio-frequency radiation-exposed MCF7 breast cancer cells
Nylund R et al. (2009): Proteomic Analysis of the Response of Human Endothelial Cell Line EA.hy926 to 1800 GSM Mobile Phone Radiation
Karinen A et al. (2008): Mobile phone radiation might alter protein expression in human skin
Li HW et al. (2007): Proteomic analysis of human lens epithelial cells exposed to microwaves
Nylund R et al. (2006): Mobile phone radiation causes changes in gene and protein expression in human endothelial cell lines and the response seems to be genome- and proteome-dependent
Zeng Q et al. (2006): Effects of global system for mobile communications 1800 MHz radiofrequency electromagnetic fields on gene and protein expression in MCF-7 cells
Leszczynski D et al. (2004): Applicability of discovery science approach to determine biological effects of mobile phone radiation
Nylund R et al. (2004): Proteomics analysis of human endothelial cell line EA.hy926 after exposure to GSM 900 radiation
Leszczynski D et al. (2002): Non-thermal activation of the hsp27/p38MAPK stress pathway by mobile phone radiation in human endothelial cells: Molecular mechanism for cancer- and blood-brain barrier-related effects