title: Antibody responses of mice exposed to low-power microwaves under combined, pulse-and-amplitude modulation.
abstract: Irradiation by pulsed microwaves (9.4 GHz, 1 microsecond pulses at 1,000/s), both with and without concurrent amplitude modulation (AM) by a sinusoid at discrete frequencies between 14 and 41 MHz, was assessed for effects on the immune system of Balb/C mice. The mice were immunized either by sheep red blood cells (SRBC) or by glutaric-anhydride conjugated bovine serum albumin (GA-BSA), then exposed to the microwaves at a low rms power density (30 microW/cm2; whole-body-averaged SAR approximately 0.015 W/kg). Sham exposure or microwave irradiation took place during each of five contiguous days, 10 h/day. The antibody response was evaluated by the plaque-forming cell assay (SRBC experiment) or by the titration of IgM and IgG antibodies (GA-BSA experiment). In the absence of AM, the pulsed field did not greatly alter immune responsiveness. In contrast, exposure to the field under the combined-modulation condition resulted in significant, AM-frequency-dependent augmentation or weakening of immune responses.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Bioélectromagnétisme de l'Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes: ENSCPB.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Veyret
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bouthet
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Deschaux
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: de Seze
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Geffard
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Joussot-Dubien
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: le Diraison
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Moreau
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Caristan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000917:Antibody Formation / Q000528:radiation effects*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008872:Microwaves