MixedLow evidencePaper 39

Effects of 4G Long-Term Evolution Electromagnetic Fields on Thyroid Hormone Dysfunction and

Keywords

#4G #LTE #RF-EMF #specific absorption rate #SAR 4 W/kg #thyroid hormones #T3 #T4 #HPT axis #hypothalamus #Dio2 #Dio3 #adolescent mice #behavior

After 4 weeks of whole-body LTE EMF exposure (SAR 4 W/kg), mice showed increased T3 levels and significantly reduced hypothalamic Dio2 and Dio3 expression versus sham, with no reported gene expression alterations in thyroid or pituitary glands. The positive c…

Study snapshot

PublicationInternational Journal of Molecular Sciences · 2024

Study typeanimal

Reported directionMixed

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Effects of 4G Long-Term Evolution Electromagnetic Fields on Thyroid Hormone Dysfunction and Behavioral Changes in Adolescent Male Mice Kim HY, Son Y, Jeong YJ, Lee SH, Kim N, Ahn YH, Jeon SB, Choi HD, Lee HJ. Effects of 4G Long-Term Evolution Electromagnetic Fields on Thyroid Hormone Dysfunction and Behavioral Changes in Adolescent Male Mice. Int J Mol Sci. 2024 Oct 10;25(20):10875. doi: 10.3390/ijms252010875. 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. Open access paper: mdpi.com

Machine Enhanced Logic

AI evidence extraction

Structured fields below were generated from the paper’s abstract and metadata to make the evidence easier to inspect. Automated extraction may be incomplete or incorrect; verify important details against the original paper.

Study typeanimal

Effect directionmixed

PopulationFour-week-old adolescent male C57BL/6 mice

Sample sizeNot supplied

ExposureRF · 4 W/kg · 4 weeks

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 74% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Outcomes measured

Thyroid hormone levels (T3, T4)
ACTH levels
Behavioral tests (open field, marble burying, nest building)
Gene expression in hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis (e.g., Dio2, Dio3, Oatp1c1, Trh, Trhr, Tpo, Tg)

Limitations

Frequency of LTE exposure not reported in abstract
Sample size not reported in abstract
Behavioral test results are not explicitly reported in the abstract
Exposure conditions beyond SAR and duration (e.g., modulation, duty cycle) not reported in abstract

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "animal",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF",
    "source": "4G LTE",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": 4,
    "duration": "4 weeks"
  },
  "population": "Four-week-old adolescent male C57BL/6 mice",
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "Thyroid hormone levels (T3, T4)",
    "ACTH levels",
    "Behavioral tests (open field, marble burying, nest building)",
    "Gene expression in hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis (e.g., Dio2, Dio3, Oatp1c1, Trh, Trhr, Tpo, Tg)"
  ],
  "main_findings": "After 4 weeks of whole-body LTE EMF exposure (SAR 4 W/kg), mice showed increased T3 levels and significantly reduced hypothalamic Dio2 and Dio3 expression versus sham, with no reported gene expression alterations in thyroid or pituitary glands. The positive control (lead) increased T3 and T4, decreased ACTH, and altered multiple HPT-axis-related transcripts.",
  "effect_direction": "mixed",
  "limitations": [
    "Frequency of LTE exposure not reported in abstract",
    "Sample size not reported in abstract",
    "Behavioral test results are not explicitly reported in the abstract",
    "Exposure conditions beyond SAR and duration (e.g., modulation, duty cycle) not reported in abstract"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.74,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "4G",
    "LTE",
    "RF-EMF",
    "specific absorption rate",
    "SAR 4 W/kg",
    "thyroid hormones",
    "T3",
    "T4",
    "HPT axis",
    "hypothalamus",
    "Dio2",
    "Dio3",
    "adolescent mice",
    "behavior"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "rf-animal-studies",
      "weight": 0.9,
      "reason": "Animal experiment assessing biological effects of RF (4G LTE) exposure."
    }
  ]
}

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AI-extracted fields are generated from the abstract and metadata and may be incomplete or incorrect. This material is for informational purposes and is not medical advice.

Identifiers and source

DOI: 10.3390/ijms252010875
PubMed: Not supplied

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