Long-term exposure to electromagnetic radiation from mobile phones can cause considerable changes in the balance of Bax/Bcl2 mRNA expression in the hippocampus of mice

The aim of the present study was the investigation of the effects of mobile phones at different daily exposure times on the hippocampal expression of two apoptotic genes. Forty-eight male BALB/c mice were randomly divided into six groups with 8 animals in each group. Four experimental groups were respectively exposed to electromagnetic waves for 0.5, 1, 2 and 4 hours twice a day for 30 consecutive days. One experimental group was radiated for 4 hours once a day, while the control group did not receive any radiation during the experiment. The expression of both Bax and Bcl2 mRNAs was upregulated in the mice exposed for one and two hours. Whilst the highest expressions were observed in the two-hours radiation in the exposed group, the expression of both studied genes was downregulated in animals with longer exposure to radiation in a duration-dependent manner. The highest ratio of Bax/Bcl2 expression was observed in the mice that received radiation for four hours twice a day. These results revealed that mobile phone radiation can cause considerable changes in the balance of Bax/Bcl2 mRNA expression in laboratory mice hippocampus.