Abstract
The growing concerns regarding the adverse biological effects of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMFs), which are generated by common electronic devices, on the human brain led us to investigate their impact on Alzheimer's disease (AD). We aimed to establish the effects of RF-EMF on the expression of molecular markers associated with amyloid precursor protein (APP), cell death, and clonogenic survival in HT22 and APP-overexpressing 7w-PSML cells. We compared the effects of RF-EMF at a high specific absorption rate (SAR) level with the neuronal-cell-death-inducing effects of ionizing radiation (IR). RF-EMF exposure (8 W/kg SAR) promoted the protein expression of ADAM10 (α-secretase) in the HT22 cells (p < 0.05) and downregulated the APP mRNA level in the 7w-PSML cells (p < 0.01). In contrast, IR (10 Gy) significantly reduced the APP and a disintegrin and metalloproteinase 10 (ADAM10) levels without altering their respective mRNA levels in these cells. Interestingly, IR exposure significantly upregulated BACE1 (β-secretase) at both the protein and mRNA levels, suggesting adverse effects in AD. IR induced cell death and reduced clonogenic survival in both cell lines. Although RF-EMF (high SAR level) influenced APP processing, it did not induce any deleterious change in either cell line. Thus, further studies are necessary to clarify the influence of RF-EMF on AD.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 307-319 |
Number of pages | 13 |
Journal | Journal of Electromagnetic Engineering and Science |
Volume | 20 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Oct 2020 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This work was supported by the ICT R&D program of MSIT/IITP (No. 2017-0-00961, Study on the EMF Exposure Control in Smart Society; No. 2019-0-00102, A Study on Public Health and Safety in a Complex EMF Environment). We thank Professor Inhee Mook-Jung for providing the 7w-PSML cell line.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020. The Korean Institute of Electromagnetic Engineering and Science. All Rights Reserved.
Keywords
- Amyloid Protein Precursor Processing
- Cell Death
- Ionizing Radiation
- RF-EMF