Effects of microwaves on membranes of hematopoietic cells in their structural and functional organization

The role of cell membranes in stimulating and inhibiting the effects of microwaves was investigated in experiments carried out with a suspension of murine bone marrow cells irradiated with microwaves in vitro [f = 2.45 GHz, CW, specific absorption rate (SAR) = 12 W/kg]. Results obtained by means of a structural probe, 2.4-TNS, indicate that no structural changes occur in the region of the protein-lipid interphase under conditions of short-term irradiation with microwaves that induced temperatures in the range 36–45°C (exposure time 315 and 525 s, respectively). Investigation of one functional parameter—the ability to produce hematopoietic colonies in the spleen after transplantation of the bone marrow irradiated in vitro by microwaves—indicated the possibility of affecting stimulatory and inhibitory effects of microwaves by using a blocker of cell receptors, Trimepranol. The role of microwaves as a physical factor interfering in the process of cell proliferation at the level of receptor regulation is discussed. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.