In this study, the genotoxic and histopathological effects of 6 GHz (0.065 W/kg) Radiofrequency-Electromagnetic Radiation (RF-EMR) on rat liver tissue were investigated. Sham (control) and Radiofrequency Radiation (RFR) groups were formed with 10 adult male rats in each group. Rats in the sham group received no treatment. Rats in the RFR group were exposed to 6 GHz RF-EMR for 4 h/day for 42 days. Immediately after the completion of the exposure, the rats in both groups were sacrificed and liver tissues were removed. Comet Test was performed to determine the genotoxic effect in the samples. Masson Trichrome and Hematoxylin Eosin staining methods were applied histopathologically. According to the Comet Analysis results, the genetic damage index (GDI) and damaged cell percentage (DCP) of the RFR group were higher than the sham group, but this difference was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). In histopathologic examinations, portal inflammation, single cell necrosis, vascularity and congestion were more prominent in the RFR group compared to the sham group. In our study, it was shown that 6 GHz RF-EMR can cause histopathologic and DNA level changes in rat liver tissue. As a result of the literature review, no prior studies have specifically examined the genotoxic and histopathological effects of 6 GHz RF-EMR. This makes our study important as it addresses the biological impacts of the 6 GHz frequency band.
Keywords: Radiofrequency-electromagnetic radiation; genotoxicity; histopathological changes; liver.
With the development of science and technology, artificial electromagnetic fields (EMF) are produced and we are exposed to these fields with many electronic devices in our daily lives. RF-EMFs (100 kHz–300 GHz) are emitted from sources such as mobile phones, Wi-Fi, satellites and radios and can penetrate the body and cause effects such as oxidative stress and DNA damage in biological systems. The liver is one of the target organs of these harmful effects and plays a role in the detoxification of EMR. In this study, genotoxic and histopathological effects of RF-EMR at of 6GHz (0.065 W/kg) frequency were investigated in rat liver tissue. DNA damage was evaluated with Comet Assay, tissue damages were evaluated with histopathological examinations. Our study has shown that 6 GHz RF-EMR can cause histopathological and DNA level changes in rat liver tissue. As a result of the literature review, no previous study has specifically examined the genotoxic and histopathological effects of 6 GHz RF-EMR. Our study is the first study in which 6 GHz RF-EMR was investigated in rat liver tissue.