Impacts of radio-frequency electromagnetic field from mobile phone exposure on apoptosis

Abstract Background: The use of mobile phones is becoming more widespread and the concerns about possible harmful effects are increasing in the community. The RF electromagnetic fields have been declared as carcinogen class 2B by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, an organization affiliated to the World Health Organization. In this study, we examined effects of radio-frequency electromagnetic field (RF-EMF) from mobile phone exposure on apoptosis and cell viability were investigated. Methods: Human astrocytoma cell lines, were exposed to RF-EMF at mobile phone frequency for 1, 24, and 48 h. Apoptotic rates of experimental groups were examined by annexin V-FITC/PI assay in flow cytometry. Additionally cell viability was determined by using the wst-1 assay with elisa reader. Results: The experimental results show that RF-EMF exposure with 1 and 24 hours has no significant effect on cell viability and apoptosis in astrocytoma cells. Conversely, 48-hour RF field exposure statistically significantly decreased cell viability and increased apoptosis in astrocytoma cells. Conclusions: The results of the experiment show that doubling time of cells is important in observing RF EMF induced effects