Effects of mobile phones on oxidant/antioxidant balance in cornea and lens of rats

Balci M, Devrim E, Durak I

Curr Eye Res, 32(1):21-25, 2007

Purpose: To investigate the effects of mobile-phone-emitted radiation on the oxidant/antioxidant balance in corneal and lens tissues and to observe any protective effects of vitamin C in this setting.

Methods: Forty female albino Wistar rats were assigned to one of four groups containing 10 rats each.
One group received a standardized daily dose of mobile phone radiation for 4 weeks.
The second group received this same treatment along with a daily oral dose of vitamin C (250 mg/kg).
The third group received this dose of vitamin C alone, while
the fourth group received standard laboratory care and served as a control.

In corneal and lens tissues, malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and catalase (CAT) were measured with spectrophotometric methods.

Results: In corneal tissue, MDA level and CAT activity significantly increased in the mobile phone group compared with the mobile phone plus vitamin C group and the control group (p < 0.05), whereas SOD activity was significantly decreased (p < 0.05).

In the lens tissues, only the MDA level significantly increased in the mobile phone group relative to mobile phone plus vitamin C group and the control groups (p < 0.05). In lens tissue, significant differences were not found between the groups in terms of SOD, GSH-Px, or CAT (p > 0.05).

Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that mobile telephone radiation leads to oxidative stress in corneal and lens tissues and that antioxidants such as vitamin C can help to prevent these effects .