Protective effects of melatonin and caffeic acid phenethyl ester against retinal oxidative stress in long-term use of mobile phone: A comparative study.
Ozguner F, Bardak Y, Comlekci S · 2006
View Original AbstractMobile phone radiation at 900 MHz caused oxidative damage to rat eye tissue, but antioxidant supplements provided significant protection.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed rats to 900 MHz mobile phone radiation (the same frequency used by many cell phones) for 60 days and found it caused significant oxidative stress in eye tissue. The radiation increased harmful compounds and decreased protective antioxidant enzymes in the retina. However, rats given melatonin or caffeic acid supplements before exposure were largely protected from this damage, suggesting these antioxidants might help shield eye tissue from cell phone radiation effects.
Why This Matters
This study adds important evidence to our understanding of how mobile phone radiation affects delicate eye tissue. The 900 MHz frequency tested is identical to what many GSM cell phones emit, making these findings directly relevant to daily phone use. What's particularly significant is that the oxidative stress occurred in the retina, the light-sensitive tissue crucial for vision. The science demonstrates that cellular phone radiation can penetrate deep enough to affect internal eye structures and disrupt the delicate balance between harmful free radicals and protective antioxidants. While the protective effects of melatonin and caffeic acid are encouraging for future research, the key takeaway is that standard mobile phone frequencies caused measurable biological damage to eye tissue in this controlled study. This research strengthens the case for taking precautionary measures with device use, especially given how close we typically hold phones to our heads and eyes.
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study. The study examined exposure from: 900 MHz
Study Details
The present study was carried out to compare the efficacy of the protective effects of melatonin and CAPE against retinal oxidative stress due to long-term exposure to 900 MHz EMR emitting mobile phones.
Melatonin and CAPE were administered daily for 60 days to the rats prior to their EMR exposure durin...
Retinal levels of NO and MDA increased in EMR exposed rats while both melatonin and CAPE caused a si...
In conclusion, melatonin and CAPE reduce retinal oxidative stress after long-term exposure to 900 MHz emitting mobile phone. Nevertheless, there was no statistically significant difference between the efficacies of these two antioxidants against to EMR induced oxidative stress in rat retina. The difference was in only GSH-Px activity in rat retina. Melatonin stimulated the retinal GSH-Px activity more efficiently than CAPE did.
Show BibTeX
@article{f_2006_protective_effects_of_melatonin_2498,
author = {Ozguner F and Bardak Y and Comlekci S},
title = {Protective effects of melatonin and caffeic acid phenethyl ester against retinal oxidative stress in long-term use of mobile phone: A comparative study.},
year = {2006},
doi = {10.1007/s11010-006-1267-0},
url = {https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11010-006-1267-0},
}