Effects of a 2450 MHz high-frequency electromagnetic field with a wide range of SARs on the induction of heat-shock proteins in A172 cells.
Wang J, Koyama S, Komatsubara Y, Suzuki Y, Taki M, Miyakoshi J. · 2006
View Original AbstractMicrowave radiation at extremely high levels triggered cellular stress responses beyond what heating alone could explain, suggesting non-thermal biological effects.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed human brain cells (A172) to microwave radiation at 2450 MHz (the same frequency used in microwave ovens and WiFi) to see if it triggers cellular stress responses. They found that extremely high radiation levels (100-200 W/kg) caused specific stress protein changes that couldn't be explained by heating alone. This suggests microwave radiation may cause biological stress in cells through mechanisms beyond just warming tissue.
Why This Matters
This study reveals something important about how microwave radiation affects living cells. While the exposure levels tested (100-200 W/kg) are far higher than typical consumer devices produce, the finding that radiation triggered stress responses beyond what heat alone could explain points to non-thermal biological mechanisms. The researchers used A172 brain cells and measured heat shock proteins, which are cellular markers that indicate when cells are under stress. What makes this significant is that the phosphorylation of HSP27 protein occurred at levels greater than what comparable heating produced, suggesting the electromagnetic field itself was causing additional cellular stress. The reality is that even though these exposure levels exceed everyday scenarios, this research adds to the growing body of evidence that EMF exposure can trigger biological responses through pathways we're still working to understand.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 5 W/kg
- Source/Device
- 2450 MHz
Where This Falls on the Concern Scale
Study Details
In this study, we investigated whether exposure to 2450 MHz high-frequency electromagnetic fields (HFEMFs) could act as an environmental insult to evoke a stress response in A172 cells, using HSP70 and HSP27 as stress markers
The cells were exposed to a 2450 MHz HFEMF with a wide range of specific absorption rates (SARs: 5-2...
Our results showed that the expression of HSP 70 increased in a time and dose-dependent manner at >5...
Our results suggest that exposure to a 2450 MHz HFEMF has little or no apparent effect on HSP70 and HSP27 expression, but it may induce a transient increase in HSP27 Phosphorylation in A172 cells at very high SAR (>100 W/kg).
Show BibTeX
@article{j_2006_effects_of_a_2450_1422,
author = {Wang J and Koyama S and Komatsubara Y and Suzuki Y and Taki M and Miyakoshi J.},
title = {Effects of a 2450 MHz high-frequency electromagnetic field with a wide range of SARs on the induction of heat-shock proteins in A172 cells.},
year = {2006},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16622864/},
}