Induction of adaptive response in human blood lymphocytes exposed to 900 MHz radiofrequency fields: Influence of cell cycle

Purpose: To investigate the influence of cell cycle on the adaptive response (AR) induced by the exposure of human blood lymphocytes to radiofrequency fields (RF). Materials and methods: Human peripheral blood lymphocytes in G₀-, G₁- or S-phase of the cell cycle were exposed for 20 hours to an adaptive dose (AD) of 900 MHz RF at an average specific absorption rate of 1.25 W/kg and then treated with a challenge dose (CD) of 100 ng/ml mitomycin C (MMC). Un-exposed and sham-exposed controls as well as cells treated with MMC alone were included in the study. The incidence of micronuclei (MN) was evaluated to determine the induction of AR. Results: The results indicated that the cells which were exposed to AD of RF in G ₀- and G₁-phase of the cell cycle did not exhibit AR while such a response was observed when the cells were exposed to AD of RF in S-phase of the cell cycle. Conclusions: These results confirmed the observations reported in our previous investigation where AR was observed in human blood lymphocytes exposed to AD of RF in S-phase of the cell cycle and further suggested that the timing of AD exposure of RF is important to elicit AR.