Electromagnetic fields at mobile phone frequency induce apoptosis and inactivation of the multi-chaperone complex in human epidermoid cancer cells.
Caraglia M, Marra M, Mancinelli F, D'Ambrosio G, Massa R, Giordano A, Budillon A, Abbruzzese A, Bismuto E. · 2005
View Original AbstractMobile phone frequency radiation triggered cell death in 45% of human cells by disrupting protective proteins within hours of exposure.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed human cancer cells to microwave radiation at mobile phone frequencies (1.95 MHz) for 12 hours and found it triggered cell death (apoptosis) in 45% of cells within just 3 hours. The radiation disrupted critical cellular proteins that normally help cells survive, essentially causing the cells' protective mechanisms to break down. This suggests that mobile phone radiation can directly damage cellular processes that keep cells alive and functioning properly.
Why This Matters
This research provides compelling evidence that mobile phone frequency radiation can trigger programmed cell death through specific molecular pathways. What makes this study particularly significant is that it identifies the precise mechanism - the breakdown of heat shock proteins (HSPs) that normally protect cells from stress. The researchers found that radiation exposure reduced levels of HSP90, a critical protein that helps other proteins maintain their proper shape and function. When this protective system fails, key survival proteins like ras and Raf-1 get degraded, ultimately leading to cell death. While this study used cancer cells in laboratory conditions, the cellular mechanisms involved are fundamental to all human cells. The frequency tested (1.95 MHz) falls within the range used by mobile communication systems, making these findings directly relevant to everyday phone use. The reality is that our cells depend on these same protective protein systems, and this research suggests that mobile phone radiation can interfere with these essential cellular processes.
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study. Duration: 12 hours
Study Details
We have evaluated the in vivo effect of MW-EMF in human epidermoid cancer KB cells.
We have found that MW-EMF induces time-dependent apoptosis (45% after 3 h) that is paralleled by an ...
In conclusion, these results demonstrate for the first time that MW-EMF induces apoptosis through the inactivation of the ras --> Erk survival signaling due to enhanced degradation of ras and Raf-1 determined by decreased expression of HSP90 and the consequent increase of proteasome dependent degradation.
Show BibTeX
@article{m_2005_electromagnetic_fields_at_mobile_1950,
author = {Caraglia M and Marra M and Mancinelli F and D'Ambrosio G and Massa R and Giordano A and Budillon A and Abbruzzese A and Bismuto E.},
title = {Electromagnetic fields at mobile phone frequency induce apoptosis and inactivation of the multi-chaperone complex in human epidermoid cancer cells.},
year = {2005},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15754340/},
}