The Effect on Rat Thymocytes of the Simultaneous In Vivo Exposure to 50-Hz Electric and Magnetic Field and to Continuous Light
Thymus plays an important role in the immune system and can be modulated by numerous environmental factors, including electromagnetic fields (EMF). The present study has been undertaken with the aim to investigate the role of long-term exposure to extremely low frequency electric and magnetic fields...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2004-01-01
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| Series: | The Scientific World Journal |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1100/tsw.2004.183 |
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| author | Daniela Quaglino Miriam Capri Luigi Zecca Claudio Franceschi Ivonne P. Ronchetti |
| author_facet | Daniela Quaglino Miriam Capri Luigi Zecca Claudio Franceschi Ivonne P. Ronchetti |
| author_sort | Daniela Quaglino |
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| description | Thymus plays an important role in the immune system and can be modulated by numerous environmental factors, including electromagnetic fields (EMF). The present study has been undertaken with the aim to investigate the role of long-term exposure to extremely low frequency electric and magnetic fields (ELF-EMF) on thymocytes of rats housed in a regular dark/light cycle or under continuous light. Male Sprague-Dawley rats, 2 months old, were exposed or sham exposed for 8 months to 50-Hz sinusoidal EMF at two levels of field strength (1 kV/m, 5 μT and 5 kV/m, 100 μT, respectively). Thymus from adult animals exhibits signs of gradual atrophy mainly due to collagen deposition and fat substitution. This physiological involution may be accelerated by continuous light exposure that induces a massive death of thymocytes. The concurrent exposure to continuous light and to ELF-EMF did not change significantly the rate of mitoses compared to sham-exposed rats, whereas the amount of cell death was significantly increased, also in comparison with animals exposed to EMF in a 12-h dark-light cycle. In conclusion, long-term exposure to ELF-EMF, in animals housed under continuous light, may reinforce the alterations due to a photic stress, suggesting that, in vivo, stress and ELF-EMF exposure can act in synergy determining a more rapid involution of the thymus and might be responsible for an increased susceptibility to the potentially hazardous effects of ELF-EMF. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ad9ff4fbabb64626802259d5047f0b7c |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1537-744X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2004-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Scientific World Journal |
| spelling | doaj-art-ad9ff4fbabb64626802259d5047f0b7c2025-08-20T03:39:40ZengWileyThe Scientific World Journal1537-744X2004-01-014919910.1100/tsw.2004.183The Effect on Rat Thymocytes of the Simultaneous In Vivo Exposure to 50-Hz Electric and Magnetic Field and to Continuous LightDaniela Quaglino0Miriam Capri1Luigi Zecca2Claudio Franceschi3Ivonne P. Ronchetti4Department of Biomedical Sciences-General Pathology, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via Campi 287, 4100 Modena, ItalyDepartment of Experimental Pathology, University of Bologna, Via San Giacomo 14, 40126 Bologna, ItalyInstitute of Advanced Biomedical Technologies-CNR, Segrate, Milano, ItalyDepartment of Experimental Pathology, University of Bologna, Via San Giacomo 14, 40126 Bologna, ItalyDepartment of Biomedical Sciences-General Pathology, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via Campi 287, 4100 Modena, ItalyThymus plays an important role in the immune system and can be modulated by numerous environmental factors, including electromagnetic fields (EMF). The present study has been undertaken with the aim to investigate the role of long-term exposure to extremely low frequency electric and magnetic fields (ELF-EMF) on thymocytes of rats housed in a regular dark/light cycle or under continuous light. Male Sprague-Dawley rats, 2 months old, were exposed or sham exposed for 8 months to 50-Hz sinusoidal EMF at two levels of field strength (1 kV/m, 5 μT and 5 kV/m, 100 μT, respectively). Thymus from adult animals exhibits signs of gradual atrophy mainly due to collagen deposition and fat substitution. This physiological involution may be accelerated by continuous light exposure that induces a massive death of thymocytes. The concurrent exposure to continuous light and to ELF-EMF did not change significantly the rate of mitoses compared to sham-exposed rats, whereas the amount of cell death was significantly increased, also in comparison with animals exposed to EMF in a 12-h dark-light cycle. In conclusion, long-term exposure to ELF-EMF, in animals housed under continuous light, may reinforce the alterations due to a photic stress, suggesting that, in vivo, stress and ELF-EMF exposure can act in synergy determining a more rapid involution of the thymus and might be responsible for an increased susceptibility to the potentially hazardous effects of ELF-EMF.http://dx.doi.org/10.1100/tsw.2004.183 |
| spellingShingle | Daniela Quaglino Miriam Capri Luigi Zecca Claudio Franceschi Ivonne P. Ronchetti The Effect on Rat Thymocytes of the Simultaneous In Vivo Exposure to 50-Hz Electric and Magnetic Field and to Continuous Light The Scientific World Journal |
| title | The Effect on Rat Thymocytes of the Simultaneous In Vivo Exposure to 50-Hz Electric and Magnetic Field and to Continuous Light |
| title_full | The Effect on Rat Thymocytes of the Simultaneous In Vivo Exposure to 50-Hz Electric and Magnetic Field and to Continuous Light |
| title_fullStr | The Effect on Rat Thymocytes of the Simultaneous In Vivo Exposure to 50-Hz Electric and Magnetic Field and to Continuous Light |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Effect on Rat Thymocytes of the Simultaneous In Vivo Exposure to 50-Hz Electric and Magnetic Field and to Continuous Light |
| title_short | The Effect on Rat Thymocytes of the Simultaneous In Vivo Exposure to 50-Hz Electric and Magnetic Field and to Continuous Light |
| title_sort | effect on rat thymocytes of the simultaneous in vivo exposure to 50 hz electric and magnetic field and to continuous light |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1100/tsw.2004.183 |
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