The role of the JAK2-STAT3 pathway in pro-inflammatory responses of EMF-stimulated N9 microglial cells
Yang X, He G, Hao Y, Chen C, Li M, Wang Y, Zhang G, Yu Z · 2010
View Original AbstractEMF exposure activates brain inflammation pathways in just 20 minutes, revealing how wireless radiation may contribute to neurological health issues.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed brain immune cells called microglia to 2.45 GHz radiofrequency radiation (the same frequency used in WiFi and microwave ovens) for 20 minutes at high intensity. They found that this EMF exposure triggered inflammation in the brain cells by activating a specific molecular pathway called JAK2-STAT3, which led to increased production of inflammatory chemicals. This suggests that EMF exposure may contribute to brain inflammation through well-defined biological mechanisms.
Why This Matters
This study provides crucial mechanistic evidence for how EMF exposure can trigger neuroinflammation at the cellular level. The researchers identified the specific JAK2-STAT3 signaling pathway as a key driver of inflammatory responses in brain immune cells following EMF exposure. What makes this particularly significant is that chronic neuroinflammation has been linked to various neurological conditions, from cognitive decline to neurodegenerative diseases. The exposure level used (SAR of 6 W/kg) is higher than typical cell phone use (which maxes out around 2 W/kg), but the fact that clear biological effects occurred in just 20 minutes suggests our brains may be more vulnerable to EMF-induced inflammation than previously understood. The researchers even noted that blocking this pathway could serve as a therapeutic target, indicating the biological effects are robust and reproducible. This adds to the growing body of evidence that EMF exposure isn't just about heating tissue, but involves specific molecular pathways that can influence brain health.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 6 W/kg
- Source/Device
- 2.45 GHz
- Exposure Duration
- 20-min
Exposure Context
This study used 6 W/kg for SAR (device absorption):
- 15x above the Building Biology guideline of 0.4 W/kg
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 Details
we investigated the role of STAT3 signaling in EMF-induced microglial activation and pro-inflammatory responses in more detail than the previous study.
N9 microglial cells were treated with EMF exposure or a sham treatment, with or without pretreatment...
EMF was found to significantly induce phosphorylation of JAK2 and STAT3, and DNA-binding ability of ...
EMF exposure directly triggers initial activation of microglia and produces a significant pro-inflammatory response. Our findings confirm that the JAK2-STAT3 pathway may not mediate this initial microglial activation but does promote pro-inflammatory responses in EMF-stimulated microglial cells. Thus, the JAK2-STAT3 pathway might be a therapeutic target for reducing pro-inflammatory responses in EMF-activated microglia.
Show BibTeX
@article{x_2010_the_role_of_the_208,
author = {Yang X and He G and Hao Y and Chen C and Li M and Wang Y and Zhang G and Yu Z},
title = {The role of the JAK2-STAT3 pathway in pro-inflammatory responses of EMF-stimulated N9 microglial cells},
year = {2010},
doi = {10.1186/1742-2094-7-54},
url = {https://jneuroinflammation.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1742-2094-7-54},
}