TP53 tumor suppressor protein in normal human fibroblasts does not respond to 837 MHz microwave exposure

• Published in: Radiation research Vol. 151; no. 6; p. 710
• Main Authors: Li, J R, Chou, C K, McDougall, J A, Dasgupta, G, Wu, H H, Ren, R L, Lee, A, Han, J, Momand, J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.06.1999
• Subjects: Cells, Cultured; Fibroblasts - chemistry; Fibroblasts - pathology; Fibroblasts - radiation effects; Humans; Microwaves; Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 - analysis
• ISSN: 0033-7587
• DOI: 10.2307/3580210

The TP53 tumor suppressor protein (formerly known as p53) responds to a wide variety of environmental insults. To evaluate the safety of cellular telephones, TP53 responses in human fibroblast cells were studied after exposure to 837 MHz microwaves. Cells were exposed in a temperature-controlled transverse electromagnetic (TEM) chamber to a specific absorption rate (SAR) of 0.9 or 9.0 W/kg at 837 MHz continuous-wave (CW) microwave irradiation for 2 h. The TP53 protein levels were measured by Western blot at 2, 8, 24 and 48 h after treatment. The TP53 protein levels in microwave-treated cells, sham-treated cells, and untreated cells remained unchanged relative to each other at all times tested (Fisher test and Student-Newman-Keuls test, P > 0.05). No morphological alterations were observed in microwave-treated cells compared to sham-treated cells. We conclude that TP53 protein expression levels in cultured human fibroblast cells do not change significantly during a 48-h period after exposure to 837 MHz continuous microwaves for 2 h at SAR levels of 0.9 or 9.0 W/kg.