The preventative effects of zinc and vitamin E supplementation on cellular phone radiation-induced oxidative stress in brain tissues of rats and their fetuses

Objective: The aim was to explore the preventive actions of zinc (Zn) and vitamin E against the oxidative stress in the brains of pregnant rats and their fetuses due to exposure to radio frequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMFs) associated with cellular phone use. Methods: 32 pregnant rats were randomly divided into four groups with 8 rats in each group: control, positive control, zinc supplement (Zn), and zinc-vitamin E supplement (Zn + VitE). The rats in the positive control, Zn and Zn + VitE groups were exposed to RF-EMFs for 20 consecutive days beginning from the first pregnancy day. During the exposure, the control and positive control groups were administered peanut oil daily intragastrically, in which the vitamin E has been eliminated, the Zn group was given peanut oil and 10 mg x mL(-1) zinc sulfate solution at a dosage of 1 mL x kg(-1), and the Zn + VitE group was given 15 mg x mL(-1) vitamin E in peanut oil and 10 mg x mL(-1) zinc sulfate solution at a dosage of 1 mL x kg(-1). At day 21, the pregnant rats were decapitated, the fetal rats were removed from the uterus, and the brains were removed from both the pregnant and fetal rats to measure catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and malondialdehyde (MDA). Results: Compared to the control group, the activity of antioxidant enzymes in the fetal rat brain and CAT in the pregnant rat brain of the positive control group decreased significantly (p < 0.05). In the Zn group, the activity of antioxidant enzymes in the fetal rat brain increased significantly (p < 0.05), whereas CAT and SOD activity increased significantly (p < 0.05) in the pregnant rat brain. Furthermore, the combination of Zn and vitamin E significantly increased (p < 0.05) the activity of the above three enzymes in brain tissues of pregnant rats and fetuses when compared to the positive controls. The exposure to cellular phone radiation increased the content of MDA in the fetal rat brain significantly compared to the control group (p < 0.05), whereas MDA decreased significantly in both fetal rat brain and pregnant rat brain when supplemented with Zn or Zn + vitamin E (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Results of this study demonstrate that receiving radiation emitted by cellular phone during pregnancy is able to influence the oxidative/anti-oxidative balance in brain tissues of both pregnant rats and their fetuses, and this adverse effect can be attenuated by Zn and vitamin E supplementation during pregnancy.