Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, Beijing, 100850, China.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2023 Jul;30(35):83717-83727. doi: 10.1007/s11356-023-28280-8. Epub 2023 Jun 22.
Microwave (MW) and electromagnetic pulse (EMP) are considered environmental pollutants, both of which can induce learning and memory impairments. However, the bioeffects of combined exposure to MW and EMP have never been explored. This paper aimed to investigate the effects of combined exposure to MW and EMP on the learning and memory of rats as well as its association with ferroptosis in the hippocampus. In this study, rats were exposed to EMP, MW, or EMP and MW combined radiation. After exposure, impairment of learning and memory, alterations in brain electrophysiological activity, and damage to hippocampal neurons were observed in rats. Moreover, we also found alterations in ferroptosis hallmarks, including increased levels of iron, lipid peroxidation, and prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (PTGS2) mRNA, as well as downregulation of glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) protein in the rat hippocampus after exposure. Our results suggested that either single or combined exposure to MW and EMP radiation could impair learning and memory and damage hippocampal neurons in rats. Moreover, the adverse effects caused by the combined exposure were more severe than the single exposures, which might be due to cumulative effects rather than synergistic effects. Furthermore, ferroptosis in the hippocampus might be a common underlying mechanism of learning and memory impairment induced by both single and combined MW and EMP exposure.
微波（MW）和电磁脉冲（EMP）被认为是环境污染物，两者均可引起学习和记忆障碍。然而，MW 和 EMP 联合暴露的生物效应尚未得到探索。本文旨在研究 MW 和 EMP 联合辐射对大鼠学习和记忆的影响及其与海马中铁死亡的关系。在这项研究中，大鼠接受 EMP、MW 或 EMP 和 MW 联合辐射暴露。暴露后，观察到大鼠学习和记忆受损，脑电生理活动改变，海马神经元损伤。此外，我们还发现大鼠海马中铁、脂质过氧化和前列腺素内过氧化物合酶 2（PTGS2）mRNA 水平升高，谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶 4（GPX4）蛋白表达下调，提示 MW 和 EMP 辐射无论是单独暴露还是联合暴露，均可损害大鼠的学习和记忆，并损伤海马神经元。此外，MW 和 EMP 联合暴露引起的不良影响比单一暴露更为严重，这可能是由于累积效应而不是协同效应。此外，铁死亡可能是 MW 和 EMP 单一和联合暴露引起学习和记忆障碍的共同潜在机制。
