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The influence of millimeter waves on the physical properties of large and giant unilamellar vesicles

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Abstract

Exposure of cell membranes to an electromagnetic field (EMF) in the millimeter wave band (30–300 GHz) can produce a variety of responses. Further, many of the vibrational modes in complex biomolecules fall in the 1–100 GHz range. In addition to fundamental scientific interest, this may have applications in the development of diagnostic and therapeutic medical applications. In the present work, lipid vesicles of different size were used to study the effects of exposure to radiation at 52–72 GHz, with incident power densities (IPD) of 0.0035–0.010 mW/cm2, on the chemical-physical properties of cell membranes. Large unilamellar vesicles (LUVs) were used to study the effect of the radiation on the physical stability of vesicles by dynamic light scattering. An inhibition of the aging processes (Ostwald ripening), which usually occur in these vesicles because of their thermodynamic instability, resulted. Giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) were used to study the effect of the radiation on membrane water permeability under osmotic stress by phase contrast microscopy. In this case, a decrease in the water membrane permeability of the irradiated samples was observed. We advance the hypothesis that both the above effects may be explained in terms of a change of the polarization states of water induced by the radiation, which causes a partial dehydration of the membrane and consequently a greater packing density (increased membrane rigidity).

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Acknowledgements

K.C. would like to thank Prof. Peter Walde (ETH, Zurich) for very helpful discussions of the experiments and his support of this work. K.C. acknowledges the financial support from Regione Calabria and Università della Calabria, Italy.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, University of Calabria, Via P. Bucci-Cubo 17/D, 87036, Arcavacata di Rende, CS, Italy

    Katia Cosentino, Amerigo Beneduci & Giuseppe Chidichimo

  2. Institute of Translational Pharmacology, National Research Council of Italy Rome, Via del Fosso del Cavaliere, 100-00133, Rome, Italy

    Alfonsina Ramundo-Orlando

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  1. Katia Cosentino
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  2. Amerigo Beneduci
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  3. Alfonsina Ramundo-Orlando
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  4. Giuseppe Chidichimo
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Correspondence to Katia Cosentino.

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Cosentino, K., Beneduci, A., Ramundo-Orlando, A. et al. The influence of millimeter waves on the physical properties of large and giant unilamellar vesicles. J Biol Phys 39, 395–410 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10867-012-9296-2

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