Veterinary Archives, Vol. 70 No. 5, 2000.
Original scientific paper
Whole body microwave exposure and peripheral blood of rats: pilot study.
Mirjana Mataušić-Pišl
; Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Zagreb, Croatia
Ivančica Trošić
; Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Zagreb, Croatia
Zoran Pišl
; Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Željko Radalj
; Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
This study was an attempt to determine biomarkers of non-ionizing, low-level microwave exposure in an animal model. It investigated the effects of continuous-wave radiation on peripheral blood in Wistar rats. The radiation frequency applied was 2450 MHz, while the average power density of the induced field was 10 mW/cm2. Forty 13-week-old male Wistar rats with an average body mass of 350 g were divided into groups G1 and G2. Group G2 comprised 20 animals, exposed to microwaves for 30 days (5 days a week, 2 hours a day), and group G1 comprised 20 unexposed controls. Peripheral blood samples were taken immediately after irradiation on the 1st, 8th, 16th and 30th day of the experiment. The total number of erythrocytes and leukocytes as well as the differential leukocyte count were investigated and compared. The results revealed an insignificant increase in the total erythrocytes count in microwave-exposed animals (P>0.05) in comparison to controls. Total leukocyte count was consistently decreased in irradiated animals from eight day of irradiation (P<0.05), while relative lymphocyte count was significantly decreased from the first day. The sight increase in the relative proportion of polymorphonuclear granulocytes was insignificant (P>0.05) in comparison to control group. Our preliminary investigation suggests that microwave exposure may affect the haematological parameters of exposed animals, and calls for further evaluation of specificity and biological significance of these biomarkers of exposure.
Keywords
microwave irradiation; Wistar rats; non-ionizing radiation; non-thermal effects; haematological parameters
Hrčak ID:
101072
URI
Publication date:
21.10.2000.
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