Medical/biological study (experimental study)

Influence of electromagnetic field (1800 MHz) on lipid peroxidation in brain, blood, liver and kidney in rats med./bio.

By: Bodera P, Stankiewicz W, Antkowiak B, Paluch M, Kieliszek J, Sobiech J, Niemcewicz M

Published in: Int J Occup Med Environ Health 2015; 28 (4): 751-759

Aim of study (acc. to author)

The effects of exposure of rats to a 1800 MHz electromagnetic field on lipid peroxidation in brain, blood, liver and kidney.

Background/further details

Experiments were conducted on healthy rats and rats with an experimentally induced inflammation (injection of Complete Freund's Adjuvant into paw), together with or without the opioid tramadol as co-exposure. Possible relations of these factors to an electromagnetic field were observed in a former study (Bodera et al. 2013).
Rats were divided into the following groups (n=8 each):
Healthy rats: 1) exposure to the electromagnetic field and intraperitoneal sham injection (water), 2) sham exposure and injection of 20 mg/kg tramadol prior to exposure, 3) exposure and injection of tramadol, 4) sham exposure and sham injection (control group for healthy rats).
Rats with inflammation: 5) exposure and sham injection, 6) sham exposure and injection of tramadol, 7) exposure and injection of tramadol, 8) sham exposure and sham injection (control groups for rats with inflammation).

Endpoint

lipid peroxidation in brain, blood, liver and kidney

Exposure

- 1,800 MHz
- TDMA
- mobile communications
- mobile phone base station
- GSM
- co-exposure

Exposure	Parameters
Exposure 1: 1,800 MHz Modulation type: pulsed Exposure duration: continuous for 15 minutes/day for 5 days	SAR: 0.024 W/kg minimum SAR: 0.028 W/kg maximum magnetic field strength: 0.05 A/m effective value electric field strength: 20 V/m effective value (1.3 m away from the antenna (in the center of exposure container))

Exposure 1

Main characteristics

Frequency	1,800 MHz
Type	electromagnetic field
Charakteristic	far field
Exposure duration	continuous for 15 minutes/day for 5 days

Modulation

Modulation type	pulsed
Pulse width	0.577 ms
Duty cycle	50 %
Repetition frequency	877 Hz
Additional info	the fundamental unit of time in this TDMA scheme (a burst period) lasts for 15/26 ms (approximately 0.577 ms); eight burst periods are grouped into a TDMA frame (120/26 ms or approximately 4.615 ms), which forms the basic unit of a logical channel

Exposure setup

Exposure source	horn antenna anechoic chamber waveguide
Chamber	plexiglass containers (218 mm length and width, 134 mm height, wall thickness 5 mm); each rat occupied 1/2 of the space of the container, separated by a transparent plastic wall (5 mm in thickness) and could not move inside this space (? SAR calculated for different positions)
Setup	animals were placed in pairs in plexiglass containers in 1 m (or 1.2 m?) distance to the antenna; the propagation vector of the incident wave was parallel to the long axis of the animal's body
Sham exposure	A sham exposure was conducted.

Parameters

Measurand	Value	Type	Method	Mass	Remarks
SAR	0.024 W/kg	minimum	calculated	-	-
SAR	0.028 W/kg	maximum	calculated	-	-
magnetic field strength	0.05 A/m	effective value	-	-	-
electric field strength	20 V/m	effective value	measured	-	1.3 m away from the antenna (in the center of exposure container)

Exposed system:

animal
rat/Wistar
whole body

Methods Endpoint/measurement parameters/methodology

lipid peroxidation (reaction of malondialdehyde with thiobarbituric acid; spectrophotometry)

Investigated system:

homogenate supernatants of brain, liver and kidney, blood plasma

Time of investigation:

after exposure

Main outcome of study (acc. to author)

In both, healthy rats and rats with inflammation, exposure to the electromagnetic field (groups 1 and 5) resulted in significantly increased lipid peroxidation in the blood and in the brain compared to the respective control groups (groups 4 and 8). In groups with a combination of exposure to the electromagnetic field and tramadol (groups 3 and 7), a significant increase of lipid peroxidation in the blood, in the brain and in the kidneys in comparison to the control group was observed.
A treatment of healthy rats with tramadol alone (group 2) led to significant increases of lipid peroxidation in the blood, in the brain and in the kidneys compared to the respective control group, whereas a tramadol treatment of rats with inflammation resulted in a significant increase of lipid peroxidation in the kidneys and a significant reduction in the blood.
In the liver, no significant differences were found between the groups. Moreover, no significant differences were found between healthy rats and rats with inflammation with the same treatment.
The authors conclude that exposure of rats to a 1800 MHz electromagnetic field might increase lipid peroxidation in brain, blood and kidneys and that co-exposure to tramadol could show a synergistic effect.

Study character:

medical/biological study
experimental study
full/main study

Study funded by

not stated/no funding

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