Microwave-induced temperature, corticosterone, and thyrotropin interrelationships

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Abstract
To delineate acute endocrine responses to microwave energy absorption, 142 unanesthetized male Long-Evans rats acclimated to experimental procedures were subjected to far-field 2.45-GHz microwave exposure for 1 h at 1-70 mW/cm2, 4 h at 0.1-40 mW/cm2 or sham exposure. Controls were sham exposed in a sham-exposure chamber beginning at 0830 h and killed at 1230, 1330, 1530 and 1930 h. Microwave-exposed rats were equilibrated in an anechoic chamber for 3 h prior to the start of exposure. Microwave exposure was initiated at 1130 h. Exposed rats were killed at 1230 and 1530 h. Colonic temperature (Tcol) was measured and serum obtained for thyrotropin (TSH) and corticosterone (CS) determination immediately after exposure. Inverse relations of TSH to power density (PD) or Tcol were noted in the microwave-exposed rats while CS increased with PD or Tcol. Similar relations of TSH and CS to Tcol were also noted among shams. The increase of Tcol by microwave exposure was dependent on PD but independent of an exposure duration greater than 1 h. The serum CS level increased with PD but the effect decreased with duration of exposure. Low intensity 4 h microwave exposure inhibited normal circadian elevation of adrenocortical function in rats if the exposure was coincident with diurnal CS elevation. Inhibition of TSH became more pronounced with duration of exposure. Differences in the endocrine-body temperature relationships between sham- and microwave-exposed rats were also noted. Endocrine control was dissociated from body temperature in the microwave-exposed rats. The endocrine control in microwave-exposed rats is different from shams.

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