Changes in mitochondrial functioning with electromagnetic radiation of ultra high frequency as revealed by electron paramagnetic resonance methods

Abstract

Purpose: To study the effects of electromagnetic radiation (EMR) of ultra high frequency (UHF) in the doses equivalent to the maximal permitted energy load for the staffs of the radar stations on the biochemical processes that occur in the cell organelles.

Materials and methods: Liver, cardiac and aorta tissues from the male rats exposed to non-thermal UHF EMR in pulsed and continuous modes were studied during 28 days after the irradiation by the electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) methods including a spin trapping of superoxide radicals.

Results: The qualitative and quantitative disturbances in electron transport chain (ETC) of mitochondria are registered. A formation of the iron-nitrosyl complexes of nitric oxide (NO) radicals with the iron-sulphide (FeS) proteins, the decreased activity of FeS-protein N2 of NADH-ubiquinone oxidoreductase complex and flavo-ubisemiquinone growth combined with the increased rates of superoxide production are obtained.

Conclusions: (i) Abnormalities in the mitochondrial ETC of liver and aorta cells are more pronounced for animals radiated in a pulsed mode; (ii) the alterations in the functioning of the mitochondrial ETC cause increase of superoxide radicals generation rate in all samples, formation of cellular hypoxia, and intensification of the oxide-initiated metabolic changes; and (iii) electron paramagnetic resonance methods could be used to track the qualitative and quantitative changes in the mitochondrial ETC caused by the UHF EMR.

Keywords::

• Mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC)
• ultra high frequency (UHV)
• electromagnetic radiation (EMR)
• superoxide
• electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR)

Acknowledgements

A part of this work was carried out in the framework of the Cooperation Agreement between R. E. Kavetsky Institute (Ukraine) and Kazan Federal University (Russia). We appreciate the support of Dr Sergei Orlinskii and Dr Sergei Nikitin (Kazan) for the incarnation of this Agreement.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.