Effect of Exposure to 900 MHz GSM Mobile Phone Radiofrequency Radiation on Estrogen Receptor Methylation Status in Colon Cells of Male Sprague Dawley Rats

Journal Title: Journal of Biomedical Physics and Engineering - Year 2017, Vol 7, Issue 1

Abstract

Background: Over the past several years, the rapidly increasing use of mobile phones has raised global concerns about the biological effects of exposure to radiofrequency (RF) radiation. Numerous studies have shown that exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMFs) can be associated with effects on the nervous, endocrine, immune, cardiovascular, hematopoietic and ocular systems. In spite of genetic diversity, the onset and progression of cancer can be controlled by epigenetic mechanisms such as gene promoter methylation. There are extensive studies on the epigenetic changes of the tumor suppressor genes as well as the identification of methylation biomarkers in colorectal cancer. Some studies have revealed that genetic changes can be induced by exposure to RF radiation. However, whether or not RF radiation is capable of inducing epigenetic alteration has not been clarified yet. To date, no study has been conducted on the effect of radiation on epigenetic alterations in colorectal cancer (CRC). Several studies have also shown that methylation of estrogen receptor α (ERα), MYOD, MGMT, SFRP2 and P16 play an important role in CRC. It can be hypothesized that RF exposure can be a reason for the high incidence of CRC in Iran. This study aimed to investigate whether epigenetic pattern of ERα is susceptible to RF radiation and if RF radiation can induce radioadaptive response as epigenetic changes after receiving the challenge dose (γ-ray). Material and Method: 40 male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 4 equal groups (Group I: exposure to RF radiation of a GSM cell phone for 4 hours and sacrificed after 24 hours; Group II: RF exposure for 4 hours, exposure to Co-60 gamma radiation (3 Gy) after 24 hours and sacrificed after 72 hrs; Group III: only 3Gy gamma radiation; Group 4: control group). DNA from colon tissues was extracted to evaluate the methylation status by methylation specific PCR. Results: Our finding showed that exposure to GSM cell phone RF radiation was capable of altering the pattern of ERα gene methylation compared to that of non-exposed controls. Furthermore, no adaptive response phenomenon was induced in the pattern of ERα gene methylation after exposure to the challenging dose of Co-60 γ-rays. Conclusion: It can be concluded that exposure to RF radiation emitted by GSM mobile phones can lead to epigenetic detrimental changes including ERα promoter methylation.

Authors and Affiliations

P Mokarram, M Sheikhi, S M J Mortazavi, S Saeb, N Shokrpour

Keywords

Related Articles

An Update of Couch Effect on the Attenuation of Megavoltage Radiotherapy Beam and the Variation of Absorbed Dose in the Build-up Region

Purpose: Fiber carbon is the most common material used in treating couch as it causes less beam attenuation than other materials. Beam attenuation replaces build-up region, reduces skin-sparing effect and causes target v...

Evaluation the FLAIR Sensitivity and DWI Post-inject in Comparison with Delayed Enhancement T1w for Better Detection of Active MS Lesions

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, typically progressive and most common autoimmune disease which damaged the central nervous system. According to the reports in 2008, this disorder has affected 2 and 2.5...

Estimating the Absorbed Dose of Organs in Pediatric Imaging of 99mTc-DTPA Radiopharmaceutical using MIRDOSE Software

Introduction: In this study, organ radiation doses were calculated for the renal agent 99mTc-DTPA in children. Bio-kinetic energy of 99mTc-DTPA was evaluated by scintigraphy and estimates for absorbed radiation dose were...

Investigating the Effect of Air Cavities of Sinuses on the Radiotherapy Dose Distribution Using Monte Carlo Method

Background: Considering that some vital organs exist in the head and neck region, the treatment of tumors in this area is a crucial task. The existence of air cavities, namely sinuses, disrupt the radiotherapy dose distr...

Online Estimation of Elbow Joint Angle Using Upper Arm Acceleration: A Movement Partitioning Approach

Estimating the elbow angle using shoulder data is very important and valuable in Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) systems which can be useful in assisting C5/C6 SCI patients. Much research has been conducted based...

Download PDF file
  • EP ID EP330319
  • DOI -
  • Views 136
  • Downloads 0

How To Cite

P Mokarram, M Sheikhi, S M J Mortazavi, S Saeb, N Shokrpour (2017). Effect of Exposure to 900 MHz GSM Mobile Phone Radiofrequency Radiation on Estrogen Receptor Methylation Status in Colon Cells of Male Sprague Dawley Rats. Journal of Biomedical Physics and Engineering, 7(1), 79-86. https://europub.co.uk/articles/-A-330319