[The injury effects of microwave exposure on visual performance and retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) in rats].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the injury effects of microwave on the visual performance and the apoptosis of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) in rats and the relationship between the impaired visual performance and RGCs apoptosis induced by microwave.


METHODS
The visual performance of rats was observed by Electroretinogram (ERG) and Flash visual evoked potentials (F-VEP). The apoptosis of RGCs in vivo and in vitro was detected by TUNEL assay and Hoechst staining.


RESULTS
Microwave exposure had no influence on ERG-a wave. The amplitude of ERG-b wave decreased significantly on the 3rd day and 7th day after microwave exposure (P < 0.01).The latency of ERG-b wave shortened significantly only at 3rd day after microwave exposure (P < 0.01). The latency of F-VEP extended markedly on the 3rd day after exposure (P < 0.05) and recovered on the 7th day after microwave exposure. The amplitude of F-VEP decreased significantly in exposure group, as compared with sham-exposure group, on the 3rd day and 7th day after microwave exposure (P < 0.05). After microwave exposure for 12 h, the apoptotic rate of RGCs in rat increased from 2.85% to 6.73%, and on the 7th day after exposure, the apoptotic rate of RGCs remained 8.93% (P < 0.05). The apoptotic rate of cultured RGCs increased from 8.42% to 13.91% at 6 hour (P < 0.05) and to 24.14% at 24 hour (P < 0.01) after microwave exposure (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
Microwave exposure can injure the visual performance of rats, and the apoptosis of RGCs induced microwave may be one of the main pathological mechanisms.
Key Laboratory of Medical Protection for Electromagnetic Radiation Ministry of Education, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China.
Ai-min
AM
Wei
Xue-sen
XS
Yang
Yuan
Y
Wang
Gen-lin
GL
He
Zhou
Z
Zhou
Guang-bin
GB
Zhang
Zheng-ping
ZP
Yu
D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000528:radiation effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D008297:Male; D008872:Microwaves / Q000009:adverse effects*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012160:Retina / Q000528:radiation effects*; D012165:Retinal Ganglion Cells / Q000473:pathology* / Q000528:radiation effects*