Electromagnetic pulses induce fluctuations in blood pressure in rats.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the effects of exposure to electromagnetic pulses (EMP) on functional indices of the cardiovascular system in male Sprague-Dawley rats.


METHODS
A tapered parallel plate Gigahertz Transverse Electromagnetic cell (GTEM cell) with a flared rectangular coaxial transmission line was used to expose the rats to EMP (0.5 pps, total 200 pulses and whole-body averaged specific absorption rate 50 mW/kg at 200 kV/m or 75 mW/kg at 400 kV/m). Concurrent sham-exposed animals were used as controls. Cardiovascular functions, namely, heart rate, and systolic, mean and diastolic blood pressures were measured immediately and up to 4 weeks post-exposure using a non-invasive tail-cuff photoelectric sensor sphygmomanometer.


RESULTS
The heart rates in sham- and EMP-exposed rats were not significantly changed. In the exposed rats, increased systolic blood pressure (SBP) occurred at 0 h and decreased SBP occurred at 1 day and 3 days after exposure. Significantly higher diastolic blood pressure (DBP) was found at 0 h and significantly lower DBP was found at 12 h, 1 day, and 1 month after exposure. Significantly higher mean arterial pressure (MAP) was noted at 0 h and significantly lower MAP was noted at 1 day.


CONCLUSIONS
Significant alterations in arterial blood pressure were observed in rats exposed to EMP exposure while heart rate was not altered.
Li
Bao-Feng
BF
Department of Radiation Medicine, Fourth Military Medical University, Shannxi Province, China.
Guo
Guo-Zhen
GZ
Ren
Dong-Qing
DQ
Jing-Li
Zhang
Ruo-Bing
RB
D000818:Animals; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects*; D004307:Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; D004574:Electromagnetic Fields; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects*; D008297:Male; D011673:Pulsatile Flow / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects*; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D014916:Whole-Body Irradiation / Q000379:methods*