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Journal Article
Effects of 4G Long-Term Evolution Electromagnetic Fields on Thyroid Hormone Dysfunction and Behavioral Changes in Adolescent Male Mice
- Authors
- Hyun-Yong Kim, Yeonghoon Son, Ye Ji Jeong, Soo-Ho Lee, Nam Kim, Young Hwan Ahn, Sang Bong Jeon, Hyung-Do Choi, Hae-June Lee
- Issue Date
- 2024-10
- Citation
- INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES, v.25, no.20, pp.1-14
- ISSN
- 1661-6596
- Publisher
- MDPI
- Language
- English
- Type
- Journal Article
- Abstract
- Radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMFs) can penetrate tissues and potentially influence endocrine and brain development. Despite increased mobile phone use among children and adolescents, the long-term effects of RF-EMF exposure on brain and endocrine development remain unclear. This study investigated the effects of long-term evolution band (LTE) EMF exposure on thyroid hormone levels, crucial for metabolism, growth, and development. Four-week-old male mice (C57BL/6) were exposed to LTE EMF (whole-body average specific absorption rate [SAR] 4 W/kg) or a positive control (lead; Pb, 300 ppm in drinking water) for 4 weeks. Subsequently, the mice underwent behavioral tests including open field, marble burying, and nest building. Blood pituitary and thyroid hormone levels, and thyroid hormone-regulating genes within the hypothalamus–pituitary–thyroid (HPT) axis were analyzed. LTE exposure increased T3 levels, while Pb exposure elevated T3 and T4 and decreased ACTH levels. The LTE EMF group showed no gene expression alterations in the thyroid and pituitary glands, but hypothalamic Dio2 and Dio3 expressions were significantly reduced compared to that in the sham-exposed group. Pb exposure altered the hypothalamic mRNA levels of Oatp1c1 and Trh, pituitary mRNA of Trhr, and Tpo and Tg expression in the thyroid. In conclusion, LTE EMF exposure altered hypothalamic Dio2 and Dio3 expression, potentially impacting the HPT axis function. Further research is needed to explore RF-EMF’s impacts on the endocrine system.
- KSP Keywords
- Behavioral changes, Brain Development, Drinking water, EMF Exposure, Electromagnetic Field(EMF), Endocrine system, Long Term Evolution(LTE), Long-term effects, Open field, Pb exposure, Positive control
This work is distributed under the term of Creative Commons License (CCL)
(CC BY)
(CC BY)
