Exposure to an Electromagnetic Field During Adolescence Can Cause Destruction and Pain in Bone Tissue and Cells While Also Triggering New Bone Formation

Abstract

Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of the application during adolescence of a 0.9 Gigahertz electromagnetic field (EMF) on rat femoral bone tissue and locomotor activity. Methods Twenty-four male 21-day-old Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into control, sham and EMF-exposed groups (n = 8). The control group was not exposed to any treatment, while both the EMF and sham groups were subjected to the exposure system for 25 days, the EMF group receiving treatment for one hour each day. Only the EMF group received the 0.9 Gigahertz EMF. All groups were subjected to open-field testing to evaluate locomotor activity on postnatal day 46. The animals were sacrificed on postnatal day 47, and the right femoral bones were removed and subjected to histopathological and stereological analyses. Results Pathological changes were detected in the femoral bones from the EMF group, including significant decreases in the width of the femoral bone wall, trabecular volume, and total bone area. Osteocyte and osteoblast numbers also decreased significantly, while osteoclast numbers exhibited a significant increase (p < 0.05). Megakaryocytic hyperplasia and intravascular thrombus were observed in the bone marrow. The open-field test results revealed a significant decrease in EMF group rat motor functions (p < 0.05). Conclusions The study findings show that a 0.9 Gigahertz EMF applied in the adolescent period leads to changes in femoral bone and bone marrow. This effect causes pathological and structural changes in rat bone tissue, and these may restrict the animals' motor activities by causing pain.