Affiliations: [a] Unité de Toxicologie Expérimentale, Institut National de l’Environnement Industriel et des Risques (INERIS), Parc Technologique ALATA, Verneuil-en-Halatte, France
| [b] PERITOX UMR I-01 INERIS 01 UFR de médecine, Amiens, France
Correspondence:
[*]
Correspondence to: Anne-Sophie Villégier, Institut National de l’Environnement Industriel et
des Risques (INERIS), Unité de Toxicologie Expérimentale, Parc Technologique ALATA,
BP no. 2, 60550 Verneuil-en-Halatte, France. Tel.: +33 (0) 3 44 55 62 61; Fax: +33 (0) 3 44 55 66 05;
E-mail: anne-sophie.villegier@ineris.fr.
Abstract: Background:Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common type of neurodegenerative disease leading to dementia. Several studies suggested that mobile phone radiofrequency electromagnetic field (RF-EMF) exposures modified AD memory deficits in rodent models. Objective:Here we aimed to test the hypothesis that RF-EMF exposure may modify memory through corticosterone and oxidative stress in the Samaritan rat model of AD. Methods:Long-Evans male rats received intracerebroventricular infusion with ferrous sulphate, amyloid-beta 1-42 peptide, and buthionine-sufloximine (AD rats) or with vehicle (control rats). To mimic cell phone use, RF-EMF were exposed to the head for 1 month (5 days/week, in restraint). To look for hazard thresholds, high brain averaged specific absorption rates (BASAR) were tested: 1.5 W/Kg (15 min), 6 W/Kg (15 min), and 6 W/Kg (45 min). The sham group was in restraint for 45 min. Endpoints were spatial memory in the radial maze, plasmatic corticosterone, heme oxygenase-1 (HO1), and amyloid plaques. Results:Results indicated similar corticosterone levels but impaired memory performances and increased cerebral staining of thioflavine and of HO1 in the sham AD rats compared to the controls. A correlative increase of cortical HO1 staining was the only effect of RF-EMF in control rats. In AD rats, RF-EMF exposures induced a correlative increase of hippocampal HO1 staining and reduced corticosterone. Discussion:According to our data, neither AD nor control rats showed modified memory after RF-EMF exposures. Unlike control rats, AD rats showed higher hippocampal oxidative stress and reduced corticosterone with the higher BASAR. This data suggests more fragility related to neurodegenerative disease toward RF-EMF exposures.
Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, corticosterone, memory, mobile phone, oxidative stress, radiofrequency
