Brain proteome response following whole body exposure of mice to mobile phone or wireless DECT base radiation

Greek Researchers Show Crucial Regions of the Brain Related to Learning, Memory, Alzheimer’s Impacted by Whole Body EMF Exposure in Animals.


A Greek scientific study led by Adamantia Fragopoulou and Lukas Margaritis has demonstrated important protein changes in the brain of animals following whole body exposure to RF electromagnetic fields, similar to the kind of microwave radiation emitted from cell phones, portable phones, WiFi and wireless computer equipment.

Adamantia F. Fragopoulou¹, Athina Samara², Marianna H. Antonelou¹, Anta Xanthopoulou³, Aggeliki Papadopoulou³, Konstantinos Vougas³, Eugenia Koutsogiannopoulou², Ema Anastasiadou², Dimitrios J. Stravopodis¹, George Th. Tsangaris³, Lukas H. Margaritis¹

¹Department of Cell Biology and Biophysics, Athens University, Athens, Greece

²Genetics and Gene Therapy Division, Center of Basic Research II, Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens, Athens, Greece

³Proteomics Research Unit, Center of Basic Research II, Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens, Athens, Greece

Address correspondence to Lukas H. Margaritis, Adamantia F. Fragopoulou, Department of Cell Biology and Biophysics, Faculty of Biology, Athens University, Panepistimiopolis, 15784 Athens, Greece. 

E-mails: lmargar@biol.uoa.gr, madofrag@biol.uoa.gr

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of two sources of electromagnetic fields (EMFs) on the proteome of cerebellum, hippocampus, and frontal lobe in Balb/c mice following long-term whole body irradiation. Three equally divided groups of animals (6 animals/group) were used; the first group was exposed to a typical mobile phone, at a SAR level range of 0.17–0.37 W/kg for 3 h daily for 8 months, the second group was exposed to a wireless DECT base (Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications /Telephone) at a SAR level range of 0.012–0.028 W/kg for 8 h/day also for 8 months and the third group comprised the sham-exposed animals. Comparative proteomics analysis revealed that long-term irradiation from both EMF sources altered significantly (p < 0.05) the expression of 143 proteins in total (as low as 0.003 fold downregulation up to 114 fold overexpression). 

Several neural function related proteins (i.e., Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein (GFAP), Alpha-synuclein, Glia Maturation Factor beta (GMF), and apolipoprotein E (apoE)), heat shock proteins, and cytoskeletal proteins (i.e., Neurofilaments and tropomodulin) are included in this list as well as proteins of the brain metabolism (i.e., Aspartate aminotransferase, Glutamate dehydrogenase) to nearly all brain regions studied. Western blot analysis on selected proteins confirmed the proteomics data. The observed protein expression changes may be related to brain plasticity alterations, indicative of oxidative stress in the nervous system or involved in apoptosis and might potentially explain human health hazards reported so far, such as headaches, sleep disturbance, fatigue, memory deficits, and brain tumor long-term induction under similar exposure conditions.

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