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Oxidative Stress147 citations

Protective effects of melatonin and caffeic acid phenethyl ester against retinal oxidative stress in long-term use of mobile phone: A comparative study.

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Ozguner F, Bardak Y, Comlekci S. · 2006

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Cell phone radiation at low levels caused measurable eye damage in this 60-day study, but natural antioxidants provided significant protection.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers exposed rats to cell phone radiation (900 MHz) for 30 minutes daily over 60 days. The radiation caused significant oxidative damage to retinal tissue in the eyes. Two natural antioxidants, melatonin and CAPE, successfully protected against this damage, suggesting potential eye health risks from prolonged phone use.

Why This Matters

This study adds important evidence to the growing body of research on EMF-induced oxidative stress, specifically targeting the eyes - organs we rarely consider when thinking about cell phone radiation exposure. The researchers used a relatively low SAR level of 0.016 W/kg, which is well below current safety limits but still produced measurable biological effects in retinal tissue. What makes this research particularly significant is that it demonstrates both the problem and potential solutions, showing that natural antioxidants can counteract EMF-induced oxidative damage. The reality is that our eyes are constantly exposed to EMF radiation when we hold phones near our faces, and this 60-day exposure protocol mirrors the chronic, daily exposure patterns of typical cell phone users. While this was an animal study, it raises important questions about whether long-term cell phone use might contribute to eye-related health issues through oxidative stress mechanisms.

Exposure Details

SAR
0.016, 4 W/kg
Power Density
1.04 µW/m²
Source/Device
900 MHz
Exposure Duration
30 min/day for 60 days

Exposure Context

This study used 1.04 µW/m² for radio frequency:

Building Biology guidelines are practitioner-based limits from real-world assessments. BioInitiative Report recommendations are based on peer-reviewed science. Check Your Exposure to compare your own measurements.

Where This Falls on the Concern Scale

Study Exposure Level in ContextStudy Exposure Level in ContextThis study: 1.04 µW/m²Extreme Concern - 1,000 uW/m2FCC Limit - 10M uW/m2Effects observed in the Slight Concern rangeFCC limit is 9,615,385x higher than this level
A logarithmic frequency spectrum from 10 Hz to 100 GHz showing where this study's 900 MHz exposure sits relative to common EMF sources.Where This Frequency Sits on the EMF SpectrumELFVLFLF / MFHF / VHFUHFSHFmm10 Hz100 GHzThis study: 900 MHzPower lines50/60 Hz5G mm28 GHzLogarithmic scale

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.

Cite This Study
Ozguner F, Bardak Y, Comlekci S. (2006). Protective effects of melatonin and caffeic acid phenethyl ester against retinal oxidative stress in long-term use of mobile phone: A comparative study. Mol Cell Biochem. 282(1-2):83-88, 2006.
Show BibTeX
@article{f_2006_protective_effects_of_melatonin_561,
  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},
}
DOI: 10.1007/s11010-006-1267-0

Cited By (147 papers)

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Quick Questions About This Study

Yes, a 2006 study found that 900 MHz cell phone radiation caused significant oxidative damage to retinal tissue in rats after 30 minutes daily exposure for 60 days. The radiation increased harmful compounds and decreased protective antioxidant enzymes in eye tissue.
Yes, melatonin successfully protected rat retinas against 900 MHz cell phone radiation damage in a 2006 study. It significantly reduced harmful oxidative compounds and increased protective antioxidant enzyme activity, even above normal levels in some cases.
CAPE (caffeic acid phenethyl ester) is a natural antioxidant that effectively protected rat retinas from 900 MHz cell phone radiation damage. It performed similarly to melatonin in reducing oxidative stress, though melatonin was slightly more effective for one enzyme.
In a 2006 rat study, 900 MHz cell phone radiation caused measurable retinal damage after 60 days of 30-minute daily exposures. The damage included increased harmful compounds and decreased protective antioxidant enzymes in eye tissue.
Yes, both melatonin and CAPE not only prevented 900 MHz radiation damage to rat retinas but actually increased antioxidant enzyme activities above normal control levels. This suggests antioxidants can both protect and potentially reverse oxidative damage.