Effect of electromagnetic radiation on the liver structure and ultrastructure of <i>in utero</i> irradiated rats

Holovská, Katarína; Almášiová, Viera; Andrašková, Sandra; Demčišáková, Zuzana; Račeková, Enikő; Cigánková, Viera

doi:10.2754/avb202190030315

Acta Veterinaria > Archive > 2021, Vol. 90 > Issue 3 > Effect of electromagnetic radiation on…

Acta Vet. Brno 2021, 90: 315-319

https://doi.org/10.2754/avb202190030315

Effect of electromagnetic radiation on the liver structure and ultrastructure of in utero irradiated rats

Katarína Holovská¹, Viera Almášiová¹, Sandra Andrašková¹, Zuzana Demčišáková¹, Enikő Račeková², Viera Cigánková¹

¹University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy, Department of Anatomy, Histology and Physiology, Košice, Slovak Republic
²Slovak Academy of Sciences, Institute of Neurobiology of Biomedical Research Center, Košice, Slovak Republic

Received July 23, 2020
Accepted August 31, 2021

The aim of this study was to observe the influence of electromagnetic radiation (EMR) on the structure and ultrastructure of the rat’s liver. The pregnant rats used in the experiment were exposed to a pulsed microwave radiation (frequency of 2.45 GHz; mean power density of 2.8 mW/cm²) daily for 2 h, throughout their pregnancy. After delivery, the offspring was not exposed to EMR. Samples of the liver of 5-week-old offspring were subjected to histopathological evaluation. They were processed for light and transmission electron microscopy. Our results indicated that EMR did not cause pronounced changes in the structure of the liver of the investigated offspring. The size and shape of liver lobuli was preserved and the amount of connective tissue in the liver parenchyma did not increase. However, electron microscopy revealed changes in the shape and number of microvilli at the vascular pole of hepatocytes, and formation of vesicles of various shapes and sizes. The endothelial cells were swollen with larger fenestrations compared to the control group. The spaces of Disse were irregular and dilated. Even though these changes were only mild, further studies are needed to determine the effect of EMR and clarify its potential risk during pregnancy.

Keywords

Microwave radiation, light microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, hepatocytes, microvilli.

Funding

The authors thank Paul McEvilly, DVM, for English correction of the manuscript. This study was supported by the VEGA project from the Slovak Ministry of Education No. 1/0060/18.