Skip to main content

ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Public Health
Sec. Radiation and Health
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1425023

External RF-EMF Alters Cell Number and ROS Balance possibly via the Regulation of NADPH Metabolism and Apoptosis

Provisionally accepted
Sheung-Ching Chow Sheung-Ching Chow 1Yang Zhang Yang Zhang 1Raymond WM Ng Raymond WM Ng 2Shu-Yuen Ron Hui Shu-Yuen Ron Hui 2,3Ilia A. Solov'yov Ilia A. Solov'yov 4,5,6Wing-Yee Lui Wing-Yee Lui 7*
  • 1 School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, SAR China
  • 2 Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China
  • 3 Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Imperial College London, London, England, United Kingdom
  • 4 Institute of Physics, Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, Carl-von-Ossietzky-Str. 9-11,, 26129 Oldenburg, Germany
  • 5 Research Center for Neurosensory Science, Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, Carl-von-Ossietzky-Str. 9-11, 26129 Oldenburg, Germany
  • 6 Center for Nanoscale Dynamics (CENAD), Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, Ammerländer Heerstr. 114-118, 26129 Oldenburg, Germany
  • 7 School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China, Hong Kong, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The influence of weak radio-frequency electromagnetic field (RF-EMF) on living organism raises new concern because of the ISM frequency band at 6.78 MHz being promoted by the AirFuel Alliance for mid-range wireless power transfer (WPT) applications and product development. Human exposure to the RF-EMF radiation is unavoidable. In this study, we employed in vitro cell culture and molecular biology approach coupled with integrated transcriptomic and proteomic analyses to uncover the effects of RF-EMF on cells at molecular and cellular levels. Our study has demonstrated that weak RF-EMF is sufficient to exert non-thermal effects on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). Exposure of weak RF-EMF promotes cell proliferation, inhibits apoptosis and deregulates ROS balance. Alteration of several signaling pathways and key enzymes involved in NADPH metabolism, cell proliferation and ferroptosis were identified. Our current study provide solid evidence for the first time that the present safety standards that solely considered the thermal effect of RF-EMF on cell tissue are inadequate, prompt response and modification of existing Guidelines, Standards and Regulation are warranted.

    Keywords: RF-EMF radiation, mid-range wireless power transfer, cellular responses, Metabolism, Reactive Oxygen Species

    Received: 29 Apr 2024; Accepted: 18 Jul 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Chow, Zhang, Ng, Hui, Solov'yov and Lui. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Wing-Yee Lui, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China, Hong Kong, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.