Long term effect of extremely low frequency electromagnetic field on islet of pancreas structure

Abstract

According to epidemiological studies, living and working in the presence of extremely low frquency electromagnetic fields (ELF EMFs) may contribute to several modern human diseases, and may explain the large increase in the incidence of diabetes and pancreatic cancer in urban areas. However, the influence of ELF EMFs on the pancreas remains unclear. The present study tests the effects of 5 months exposure to non-homogenous extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields (50 Hz) of two different intensity (500-50 µT and 1000-100 µT) on endocrine pancreatic structure in Wistar rats. Results show that animals exposed to ELF EMFs of low and high intensity display a reduced number of islets per section of pancreas: an effect particularly pronounced in animals exposed to stronger fields. The mean islet diameter was significantly higher in both groups versus control (p < 0.01, respectively). In contrast, exposure to ELF EMFs had no significant influence on the total volume density of pancreatic islets. However, ELF EMF exposure did induce an increase in the volume density of connective tissue and blood capillaries in Langerhans islets, especially upon treatment with ELF EMFs of higher intensity. ELF EMFs of lower intensity increased the percentage of alpha and beta cells while reducing the percentage of D and PP cells. In addition, low intensity ELF EMF fields increased the volume density of alpha cells, decreased the volume density of D and PP cells, and had no influence on the volume density of beta cells. ELF EMFs of higher intensity decreased the percentage of alpha and D cells, while increasing the percentage of beta and PP cells. ELF EMFs of higher intensity induced an increase in the volume density of alpha cells, decreased D cell volume density, and had no influence on the volume density of beta and PP cells. Thus, according to our results, alpha cells displayed the greatest sensitivity to changes in ELF EMF intensity, while all other non-beta cells, as well as the beta cells do not alter their response profile depending on the intensity of the ELF EMFs. However, further investigations are required to elucidate intra-islet interactions between different endocrine islet cells types during ELF EMF exposure.