Effect of exposure to 1,800 MHz electromagnetic fields on heat shock proteins and glial cells in the brain of developing rats.
The increasing use of mobile phones by children raise issues about the effects of electromagnetic fields (EMF) on the immature Central Nervous System (CNS). In the present study, we quantified cell stress and glial responses in the brain of developing rats one day after a single exposure of 2 h to a GSM 1,800 MHz signal at a brain average Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) in the range of 1.7 to 2.5 W/kg. Young rats, exposed to EMF on postnatal days (P) 5 (n = 6), 15 (n = 5) or 35 (n = 6), were compared to pseudo-exposed littermate rats (n = 6 at all ages). We used western blotting to detect heat shock proteins (HSPs) and cytoskeleton- or neurotransmission-related proteins in the developing astroglia. The GSM signal had no significant effect on the abundance of HSP60, HSC70 or HSP90, of serine racemase, glutamate transporters including GLT1 and GLAST, or of glial fibrillary acid protein (GFAP) in either total or soluble tissue extracts. Imunohistochemical detection of CD68 antigen in brain sections from pseudo-exposed and exposed animals did not reveal any differences in the morphology or distribution of microglial cells. These results provide no evidence for acute cell stress or glial reactions indicative of early neural cell damage, in developing brains exposed to 1,800 MHz signals in the range of SAR used in our study.
Inserm, UMR 894, Physiopathologie des Maladies Psychiatriques, Centre de Psychiatrie et Neurosciences, Paris, France.
Aurélie
A
Watilliaux
Jean-Marc
JM
Edeline
Philippe
P
Lévêque
Thérèse M
TM
Jay
Michel
M
Mallat
D000367:Age Factors; D027322:Amino Acid Transport System X-AG / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001921:Brain / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000528:radiation effects; D002452:Cell Count / Q000379:methods; D004574:Electromagnetic Fields; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian; D005260:Female; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Q000528:radiation effects*; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000378:metabolism / Q000528:radiation effects*; D011247:Pregnancy; D019998:Racemases and Epimerases / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D000099300:Serine Racemase
D027322:Amino Acid Transport System X-AG; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins; D019998:Racemases and Epimerases; D000099300:Serine Racemase