Warman G R, Tripp H M, Warman V L, Arendt J
Department of Anaesthesiology, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, New Zealand.
Radiat Prot Dosimetry. 2003;106(4):369-73. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.rpd.a006374.
The suppression of melatonin by exposure to low frequency electromagnetic fields (EMFs) 'the melatonin hypothesis'. has been invoked as a possible mechanism through which exposure to these fields may result in an increased incidence of cancer. While the effect of light on melatonin is well established, data showing a similar effect due to EMF exposure are sparse and, where present, are often poorly controlled. The current review focuses on the complexities associated with using melatonin as a marker and the dynamic nature of normal melatonin regulation by the circadian neuroendocrine axis. These are issues which the authors believe contribute significantly to the lack of consistency of results in the current literature. Recommendations on protocol design are also made which, if followed, should enable researchers to eliminate or control for many of the confounding factors associated with melatonin being an output from the circadian clock.
暴露于低频电磁场（EMF）会抑制褪黑素，即“褪黑素假说”。这一假说被认为是暴露于这些电磁场可能导致癌症发病率增加的一种潜在机制。虽然光照对褪黑素的影响已得到充分证实，但显示电磁场暴露会产生类似影响的数据却很稀少，即便有此类数据，往往也缺乏良好的对照。当前的综述聚焦于将褪黑素用作标志物所涉及的复杂性，以及昼夜神经内分泌轴对正常褪黑素调节的动态特性。作者认为，这些问题在很大程度上导致了当前文献中研究结果缺乏一致性。文中还给出了关于实验方案设计的建议，若遵循这些建议，研究人员应能够消除或控制与褪黑素作为生物钟输出产物相关的许多混杂因素。
