Exposure of tumor-bearing mice to extremely high-frequency electromagnetic radiation modifies the composition of fatty acids in thymocytes and tumor tissue

Abstract

Purpose: To test the participation of fatty acids (FA) in antitumor effects of extremely high-frequency electromagnetic radiation (EHF EMR), the changes in the FA composition in the thymus, liver, blood plasma, muscle tissue, and tumor tissue in mice with Ehrlich solid carcinoma exposed to EHF EMR were studied.Materials and methods: Normal and tumor-bearing mice were exposed to EHF EMR with effective parameters (42.2 GHz, 0.1 mW/cm2, 20 min daily during five consecutive days beginning the first day after the inoculation of tumor cells). Fatty acid composition of various organs and tissues of mice were determined using a gas chromatography.Results: It was shown that the exposure of normal mice to EHF EMR or tumor growth significantly increased the content of monounsaturated FA (MUFA) and decreased the content of polyunsaturated FA (PUFA) in all tissues examined. Exposure of tumor-bearing mice to EHF EMR led to the recovery of FA composition in thymocytes to the state that is typical for normal animals. In other tissues of tumor-bearing mice, the exposure to EHF EMR did not induce considerable changes that would be significantly distinguished between disturbances caused by EHF EMR exposure or tumor growth separately. In tumor tissue which is characterized by elevated level of MUFA, the exposure to EHF EMR significantly decreased the summary content of MUFA and increased the summary content of PUFA.Conclusions: The recovery of the FA composition in thymocytes and the modification of the FA composition in the tumor under the influence of EHF EMR on tumor-bearing animals may have crucial importance for elucidating the mechanisms of antitumor effects of the electromagnetic radiation.