Background: Oxidative stress-induced tissue damage is a recognized concern linked to electromagnetic radiation (EMR) waves. Materials and Methods: In the present study, we explored the effect of moderate aerobic exercise (AE) on oxidative stress (OS) and cardiomyocyte damage resulting from cell phone EMR in rats. A total of 32 male Wistar rats were randomly allocated into the following groups: control (C), EMR, AE, and EMR+AE. Both EMR+AE and EMR groups were subjected to three hours of daily cell phone EMR (0.9-1.8 GHz) exposure for six weeks, while the AE and EMR+AE groups completed a treadmill AE five days per week. The heart was collected 48 hours after the last AE session to assess OS, histopathological damage, and left ventricular structure. Results: Tissue sections revealed that the EMR group had more significant heart tissue damage (increased apoptotic cells and collagen deposition) than the C group, and adding AE mitigated the damage (P<0.05). In the EMR group, in comparison to the EMR+AE, C, and AE groups, the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) significantly decreased, and the concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA) elevated notably (P < 0.05). Exercise training in both the AE and EMR+AE groups resulted in a notable rise in SOD, CAT, and GPX activity, alongside a notable reduction in MDA concentration in comparison to the EMR group (P < 0.05). Conclusions: AE is advantageous in mitigating the adverse impacts of EMR emitted from mobile phones on the heart. |
