Examination of the Effect of a 50-Hz Electromagnetic Field at 500 μT on Parameters Related With the Cardiovascular System in Rats

Abstract

Background: Whether electromagnetic field (EMF) exposure affects the function of the cardiovascular system is under debate. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of 500 µT EMF exposure on the cardiovascular system in rats. Methods: Forty-eight-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into two groups: the sham group and the exposure group. During 24-week EMF exposure (20 h per day), the blood pressure and pulse rate were recorded every 4 weeks. Before sacrifice, electrocardiography, echocardiography, and cardiac catheterization analysis were conducted to evaluate the cardiac function. Meanwhile, hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining, Western blot, and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were performed to identify morphological and molecular changes indicative of cardiac remodeling. Results: The heart rate, blood pressure, and pulse rate were not influenced by EMF exposure compared with the control group. In addition, HE staining showed no change in the morphology and arrangement of cardiomyocytes. Further, we found that the mRNA and protein levels of cardiac hypertrophy-related genes were not affected by EMF exposure. Finally, no significant difference was observed in cardiac function between the two groups by echocardiography and cardiac catheterization detection. Conclusion: The 24-week exposure to EMF at 500 µT did not have apparent effects on the cardiovascular system in rats, at least for the variables studied.

Metabolic, Apoptotic and Fibro-Inflammatory Profiles of the Heart Exposed to Environmental Electromagnetic Fields

“…long-term exposure to EMFs [19,20]. However, another two studies reported that there was no influence on the cardiovascular system among rats subjected to chronic exposure to an EMF [21,22]. The heart is a highly coordinated organ with the notable ability to adapt in response to physiological or pathological stresses in order to maintain homeostasis.…”

System-level biological effects of extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields: an in vivo experimental review

“…To explore the mechanisms, Wei et al (2015) exerted a 2 mT, 15 Hz, 50 Hz, 75 Hz, and 100 Hz EMF on cardiomyocytes isolated from neonatal SD rats and confirmed the modulation of calcium-related activities, including the increase in calcium concentration baseline level and the decrease in the amplitude of calcium transients in the sarcoplasmic reticulum. However, long-term experiments of 24 weeks on rats indicated that 50 Hz EMF had no obvious effects on the cardiovascular system through the detection of blood pressure, pulse rate, heart rate, and cardiac rhythm (Zhou et al, 2016) or based on the results of echocardiography, cardiac catheterization detection, HE staining of cardiomyocytes, and mRNA levels of related genes (Liu et al, 2018;Zhang et al, 2020).…”