Measurement of DNA damage after acute exposure to pulsed-wave 2450 MHz microwaves in rat brain cells by two alkaline comet assay methods.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the effect of 2450 MHz pulsed-wave microwaves on the induction of DNA damage in brain cells of exposed rats and to discover whether proteinase K is needed to detect DNA damage in the brain cells of rats exposed to 2450 MHz microwaves.


METHODS
Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to 2450 MHz pulsed-wave microwaves and sacrificed 4 h after a 2-h exposure. Rats irradiated whole-body with 1 Gy (137)Cs were included as positive controls. DNA damage was assayed by two variants of the alkaline comet assay on separate aliquots of the same cell preparation.


RESULTS
Significant DNA damage was observed in the rat brain cells of rats exposed to gamma-rays using both versions of the alkaline comet assay independent of the presence or absence of proteinase K. However, neither version of the assay could detect any difference in comet length and/or normalized comet moment between sham- and 2450 MHz pulsed-wave microwave-exposed rats, regardless of the inclusion or omission of proteinase K in the comet assay.


CONCLUSIONS
No DNA damage in brain cells was detected following exposure of rats to 2450 MHz microwaves pulsed-wave at a specific absorption rate of 1.2 W kg(-1) regardless of whether or not proteinase K was included in the assay. Thus, the results support the conclusion that low-level 2450 MHz pulsed-wave microwave exposures do not induce DNA damage detectable by the alkaline comet assay.
Lagroye
I
I
PIOM/EPHE Bioelectromagnetics Laboratory, ENSCPB, 16 Avenue Pey Berland ,F-33607 Pessac, France.
Anane
R
R
Wettring
B A
BA
Moros
E G
EG
Straube
W L
WL
Laregina
M
M
Niehoff
M
M
Pickard
W F
WF
Baty
J
J
Roti Roti
J L
JL
D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects / Q000528:radiation effects*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D020552:Comet Assay / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D004247:DNA / Q000187:drug effects / Q000528:radiation effects*; D004249:DNA Damage; D004307:Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; D019286:Endopeptidase K / Q000494:pharmacology; D005720:Gamma Rays; D008297:Male; D008872:Microwaves; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000528:radiation effects*; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011874:Radiometry; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D014916:Whole-Body Irradiation
D004247:DNA; D019286:Endopeptidase K