Ultra high frequency-electromagnetic field irradiation during pregnancy leads to an increase in erythrocytes micronuclei incidence in rat offspring.
Mobile telephones and their base stations are an important ultra high frequency-electromagnetic field (UHF-EMF) source and their utilization is increasing all over the world. Epidemiological studies suggested that low energy UHF-EMF emitted from a cellular telephone may cause biological effects, such as DNA damage and changes on oxidative metabolism. An in vivo mammalian cytogenetic test, the micronucleus (MN) assay, was used to investigate the occurrence of chromosomal damage in erythrocytes from rat offspring exposed to a non-thermal UHF-EMF from a cellular phone during their embryogenesis; the irradiated group showed a significant increase in MN occurrence. In order to investigate if UHF-EMF could also alter oxidative parameters in the peripheral blood and in the liver - an important hematopoietic tissue in rat embryos and newborns - we also measured the activity of antioxidant enzymes, quantified total sulfhydryl content, protein carbonyl groups, thiobarbituric acid-reactive species and total non-enzymatic antioxidant defense. No significant differences were found in any oxidative parameter of offspring blood and liver. The average number of pups in each litter has also not been significantly altered. Our results suggest that, under our experimental conditions, UHF-EMF is able to induce a genotoxic response in hematopoietic tissue during the embryogenesis through an unknown mechanism.
Ferreira
Amâncio Romanelli
AR
Centro de Estudos em Estresse Oxidativo, Departamento de Bioquímica, ICBS, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. arferreira@yahoo.com
Knakievicz
Tanise
T
Pasquali
Matheus Augusto de Bittencourt
MA
Gelain
Daniel Pens
DP
Dal-Pizzol
Felipe
F
Fernández
Claudio Enrique Rodriguez
CE
de Salles
Alvaro Augusto de Almeida
AA
Ferreira
Henrique Bunselmeyer
HB
Moreira
José Cláudio Fonseca
JC
D000135:Acid Phosphatase / Q000032:analysis; D000818:Animals; D004574:Electromagnetic Fields; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000378:metabolism / Q000528:radiation effects* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus / Q000187:drug effects*; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase / Q000378:metabolism; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000032:analysis; D008098:Litter Size; D048629:Micronuclei, Chromosome-Defective / Q000528:radiation effects*; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D011247:Pregnancy; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013438:Sulfhydryl Compounds / Q000032:analysis; D000071681:Tartrate-Resistant Acid Phosphatase
D007527:Isoenzymes; D013438:Sulfhydryl Compounds; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase; D000135:Acid Phosphatase; D000071681:Tartrate-Resistant Acid Phosphatase