Click here to close
Hello! We notice that you are using Internet Explorer, which is not supported by Xenbase and may cause the site to display incorrectly.
We suggest using a current version of Chrome,
FireFox, or Safari.
???displayArticle.abstract???
Interactions between millimeter waves (MMWs) and biological systems have received increasing attention due to the growing use of MMW radiation in technologies ranging from experimental medical devices to telecommunications and airport security. Studies have shown that MMW exposure alters cellular function, especially in neurons and muscles. However, the biophysical mechanisms underlying such effects are still poorly understood. Due to the high aqueous absorbance of MMW, thermal mechanisms are likely. However, nonthermal mechanisms based on resonance effects have also been postulated. We studied MMW stimulation in a simplified preparation comprising Xenopus laevis oocytes expressing proteins that underlie membrane excitability. Using electrophysiological recordings simultaneously with 60 GHz stimulation, we observed changes in the kinetics and activity levels of voltage-gated potassium and sodium channels and a sodium-potassium pump that are consistent with a thermal mechanism. Furthermore, we showed that MMW stimulation significantly increased the action potential firing rate in oocytes coexpressing voltage-gated sodium and potassium channels, as predicted by thermal terms in the Hodgkin-Huxley model of neurons. Our results suggest that MMW stimulation produces significant thermally mediated effects on excitable cells via basic thermodynamic mechanisms that must be taken into account in the study and use of MMW radiation in biological systems.
Alekseev,
Millimeter wave effects on electrical responses of the sural nerve in vivo.
2010, Pubmed
Alekseev,
Millimeter wave effects on electrical responses of the sural nerve in vivo.
2010,
Pubmed
Alekseev,
Millimeter waves thermally alter the firing rate of the Lymnaea pacemaker neuron.
1997,
Pubmed
Alekseev,
Effects of millimeter waves on ionic currents of Lymnaea neurons.
1999,
Pubmed
Bezanilla,
Sodium and potassium conductance changes during a membrane action potential.
1970,
Pubmed
Castillo,
Energy landscape of the reactions governing the Na+ deeply occluded state of the Na+/K+-ATPase in the giant axon of the Humboldt squid.
2011,
Pubmed
Colina,
Structural basis of Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase adaptation to marine environments.
2007,
Pubmed
Gordon,
[Study of the biological effect of electromagnetic waves of millimeter range].
1969,
Pubmed
HODGKIN,
A quantitative description of membrane current and its application to conduction and excitation in nerve.
1952,
Pubmed
Hoshi,
Biophysical and molecular mechanisms of Shaker potassium channel inactivation.
1990,
Pubmed
,
Xenbase
Iverson,
A-type potassium channels expressed from Shaker locus cDNA.
1988,
Pubmed
,
Xenbase
Khramov,
Millimeter-wave effects on electric activity of crayfish stretch receptors.
1991,
Pubmed
Kirsch,
Temperature dependence of Na currents in rabbit and frog muscle membranes.
1987,
Pubmed
Pakhomov,
Current state and implications of research on biological effects of millimeter waves: a review of the literature.
1998,
Pubmed
Pakhomov,
Search for frequency-specific effects of millimeter-wave radiation on isolated nerve function.
1997,
Pubmed
Pikov,
Modulation of neuronal activity and plasma membrane properties with low-power millimeter waves in organotypic cortical slices.
2010,
Pubmed
Rosenthal,
A comparison of propagated action potentials from tropical and temperate squid axons: different durations and conduction velocities correlate with ionic conductance levels.
2002,
Pubmed
Ruff,
Effects of temperature on slow and fast inactivation of rat skeletal muscle Na(+) channels.
1999,
Pubmed
Shapiro,
Infrared light excites cells by changing their electrical capacitance.
2012,
Pubmed
,
Xenbase
Yao,
Rapid temperature jump by infrared diode laser irradiation for patch-clamp studies.
2009,
Pubmed
,
Xenbase
