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Brain & Nervous System115 citations

900-MHz microwave radiation promotes oxidation in rat brain

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Kesari KK, Kumar S, Behari J. · 2011

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Wistar rats exposed to mobile phone radiation showed a significant increase in reactive oxygen species and significant changes in antioxidant enzyme levels in the brain.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers exposed 35-day old Wistar rats to a mobile phone for 2 hours per day for 45 days at a specific absorption rate of 0.9 W/Kg. Animals were divided into a sham exposed group and an exposed group, each with 6 animals. The exposed group showed a significant decrease in glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase, and a significant increase in reactive oxygen species. The researchers concluded that these findings on biomarkers are clear indications of possible health implications.

Why This Matters

The study aimed to examine the effect of mobile phone exposure on different regions of the rat brain. In the exposed group, protein kinase showed a significant decrease in the hippocampus and whole brain. A significant decrease in pineal melatonin and a significant increase in creatine kinase and caspase 3 were observed in the exposed group's whole brain compared with sham exposed. The researchers suggested that changes in antioxidative enzyme activities, protein kinase C, melatonin, caspase 3, and creatine kinase are related to overproduction of reactive oxygen species in the exposed animals.

Exposure Details

SAR
0.9 W/kg
Source/Device
900 MHz
Exposure Duration
continuous for 2 h/day on 45 days

Exposure Context

This study used 0.9 W/kg for SAR (device absorption):

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: 0.9 W/kgExtreme Concern - 0.1 W/kgFCC Limit - 1.6 W/kgEffects observed in the Extreme Concern range (Building Biology)FCC limit is 2 times 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

To study the effect of mobile exposure on different regions of the rat brain.

For this, 35-day old Wistar rats were exposed to a mobile phone for 2 h per day for a duration of 45...

Our observations indicate a significant decrease (P < 0.05) in the level of glutathione peroxidase, ...

The study concludes that a reduction or an increase in antioxidative enzyme activities, protein kinase C, melatonin, caspase 3, and creatine kinase are related to overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in animals under mobile phone radiation exposure. Our findings on these biomarkers are clear indications of possible health implications.

Cite This Study
Kesari KK, Kumar S, Behari J. (2011). 900-MHz microwave radiation promotes oxidation in rat brain Electromagn Biol Med. 30(4):219-234, 2011.
Show BibTeX
@article{kk_2011_900mhz_microwave_radiation_promotes_115,
  author = {Kesari KK and Kumar S and Behari J.},
  title = {900-MHz microwave radiation promotes oxidation in rat brain},
  year = {2011},
  doi = {10.3109/15368378.2011.587930},
  url = {https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3109/15368378.2011.587930},
}
DOI: 10.3109/15368378.2011.587930

Cited By (115 papers)

View all 115 citing papers on Semantic Scholar

Quick Questions About This Study

35-day old Wistar rats were exposed to a mobile phone for 2 hours per day for 45 days at a specific absorption rate of 0.9 W/Kg.
Exposed rats showed a significant decrease in glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase, and an increase in catalase activity.
A significant increase in the level of reactive oxygen species was recorded in the exposed group.
A significant decrease in the level of pineal melatonin was observed in the exposed group of whole brain as compared with sham exposed.
The researchers concluded that changes in these biomarkers are related to overproduction of reactive oxygen species in animals under mobile phone radiation exposure.