Microwave Radiation Induced Human iPSC Derived Cardiomyo-cytes Injury

Abstract

Electromagnetic waves are recognized as the third major source of pollution, which can damage to the heart. However, due to the limitation of human subjects in research, it is difficult to extrapolate the biological effects of electromagnetic waves directly from animals to humans. In this study, human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) were used to explore the effect of microwave radiation on human heart injury. Human iPSC-CMs were radiated with a single irradiation dose of 30W/Kg for 30 min. After radiation, the content of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) in hiPSC-CMs increased significantly, and the Mito-tracker and mitochondrial membrane potential decreased synchronously. Seahorse assay found that the mitochondrial functions in cardiomyocytes were weakened after being exposed irradiation. The electrophysiological functions of hiPSC-CMs were significantly abnormal, with increased proportions of late apoptosis and decreased proportions of viable cells. In addition, the secretion of 10 pro-inflammatory cytokines/chemokines was increased in hiPSC-CMs after radiation. An effector model of microwave irradiation-induced cardiac injury was established using hiPSC-CMs in this study. Based on the fully observation of the structure and functions of iPSC-CMs after radiation, it was speculated that mitochondrial damage might be the dominant cause of delayed intracellular energy transfer, which was synchronously manifested as abnormal electrophysiological functions. The findings of this study provide valuable data for the clinical transformation of basic experimental research, and the damage mechanism will be explored in the future in order to provide effective assistance to the occupational practitioners.