Exposure to 2.45 GHz electromagnetic fields elicits an HSP-related stress response in rat hippocampus.
Yang XS, He GL, Hao YT, Xiao Y, Chen CH, Zhang GB, Yu ZP. · 2012
View Original AbstractExposure to 2.45 GHz electromagnetic fields increased heat shock protein levels in rat hippocampus, suggesting a stress response.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed adult male Sprague-Dawley rats to a 2.45 GHz electromagnetic field at a specific absorption rate of 6 W/kg, or to sham conditions, then examined gene and protein expression in the hippocampus. Of 2048 candidate genes examined, 23 were upregulated and 18 were downregulated. Two heat shock proteins, HSP27 and HSP70, stood out because their expression levels were increased in the rat hippocampus. The researchers concluded that their data provide direct evidence that exposure to electromagnetic fields elicits a stress response in the rat hippocampus.
Why This Matters
The study used the hippocampus because it was considered a sensitive target of electromagnetic radiation for assessing stress-related gene and protein expression changes. Gene expression across thousands of candidates was screened using a cDNA microarray, then key findings were confirmed with additional laboratory techniques. Staining showed that the increases in HSP27 and HSP70 were especially concentrated in the pyramidal neurons of cornu ammonis 3 and granular cells of dentate gyrus.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 6 W/kg
- Power Density
- 65 mW/cm²
- Source/Device
- 2.45 GHz
- Exposure Duration
- 20 min
Exposure Context
This study used 65 mW/cm² for radio frequency:
- 6,500Mx above the Building Biology guideline of 0.1 μW/m²
- 108.3Mx above the BioInitiative Report recommendation of 0.0006 μW/cm²
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
To determine whether electromagnetic field exposure could act as an environmental stimulus capable of producing stress responses, we employed the hippocampus, a sensitive target of electromagnetic radiation, to assess the changes in its stress-related gene and protein expression after EMF exposure.
Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats with body restrained were exposed to a 2.45 GHz EMF at a specific abs...
Of 2048 candidate genes, 23 upregulated and 18 downregulated genes were identified. Of these differe...
Our data provide direct evidence that exposure to electromagnetic fields elicits a stress response in the rat hippocampus.
Show BibTeX
@article{xs_2012_exposure_to_245_ghz_207,
author = {Yang XS and He GL and Hao YT and Xiao Y and Chen CH and Zhang GB and Yu ZP. },
title = {Exposure to 2.45 GHz electromagnetic fields elicits an HSP-related stress response in rat hippocampus.},
year = {2012},
url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0361923012000615},
}