Effect of Exposure to 900 MHz GSM Mobile Phone Radiofrequency Radiation on Estrogen Receptor Methylation Status in Colon Cells of Male Sprague Dawley Rats.
Mokarram P, Sheikhi M, Mortazavi SMJ, Saeb S4 Shokrpour N · 2017
View Original AbstractCell phone radiation altered cancer-related gene patterns in rat colon cells, suggesting a potential pathway for increased cancer risk.
Plain English Summary
Iranian researchers exposed male rats to 900 MHz GSM cell phone radiation for 4 hours and examined how it affected DNA methylation patterns in colon tissue cells. They found that the cell phone radiation altered the methylation pattern of the estrogen receptor alpha gene, which is involved in colorectal cancer development. This suggests that cell phone radiation may contribute to cancer risk through epigenetic changes - modifications that don't alter DNA sequence but affect how genes are expressed.
Why This Matters
This study adds important evidence to our understanding of how cell phone radiation affects cellular function at the molecular level. The researchers found that GSM radiation altered DNA methylation patterns in genes linked to colorectal cancer, suggesting a potential mechanism by which RF exposure could contribute to cancer development beyond direct DNA damage. What makes this particularly concerning is that these epigenetic changes can be passed on when cells divide, potentially creating lasting effects from relatively brief exposures. The study used 900 MHz GSM radiation, which is within the frequency range of standard cell phone communications that billions of people are exposed to daily. While this was an animal study with limitations, it demonstrates that cell phone radiation can cause measurable biological changes at the genetic level - changes that could theoretically increase cancer risk over time.
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study.
Study Details
This study aimed to investigate whether epigenetic pattern of ERα is susceptible to RF radiation and if RF radiation can induce radioadaptive response as epigenetic changes after receiving the challenge dose (γ-ray).
40 male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 4 equal groups (Group I: exposure to RF radiation of a...
Our finding showed that exposure to GSM cell phone RF radiation was capable of altering the pattern ...
It can be concluded that exposure to RF radiation emitted by GSM mobile phones can lead to epigenetic detrimental changes in ERα promoter methylation pattern.
Show BibTeX
@article{p_2017_effect_of_exposure_to_2409,
author = {Mokarram P and Sheikhi M and Mortazavi SMJ and Saeb S4 Shokrpour N},
title = {Effect of Exposure to 900 MHz GSM Mobile Phone Radiofrequency Radiation on Estrogen Receptor Methylation Status in Colon Cells of Male Sprague Dawley Rats.},
year = {2017},
url = {https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5401136/},
}