Purpose: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the early effects of acute (2 h) exposure to extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields (ELF-EMF), as well as movement restraint (MR) and the combination of both on the antioxidant systems in the plasma, liver, kidney, and heart of rats.
Materials and methods: Twenty-four adult male Wistar rats were divided in two groups, restrained and unrestrained. The restrained animals were confined into an acrylic tube for 120 min. Half of the animals of each group were exposed to ELF-EMF (60 Hz, 2.4 mT) during the period of restriction. Immediately after treatment, reduced glutathione (GSH), catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) were measured in tissues.
Results: GSH concentration was significantly lower in the heart of all experimental animals when compared to the control group; furthermore, the decrease was higher in the liver of restrained animals. SOD activity was lower in the plasma of restrained and EMF exposed animals compared to unrestrained rats. There were no significant differences in CAT activity and TBARS levels among all the experimental groups vs. the control group.
Conclusion: Two hours of 60 Hz EMF exposure might immediately alter the metabolism of free radicals, decreasing SOD activity in plasma and GSH content in heart and kidney, but does not induce immediate lipid peroxidation. Oxidative stress induced by movement restraint was stronger than that produced by EMF.