Changes in Lipid Peroxidation under Exposure to Electromagnetic Radiation of Nonthermal Intensity in the Prenatal Period

Abstract

This study focused on the redox homeostasis in the lenses of 20- and 30-day-old chinchilla rabbit kits exposed to a combination of hypoxia and electromagnetic radiation at a nonthermal intensity during their prenatal development. Adult rabbit does (n = 12) were divided into equal-sized experimental and control groups. After mating, pregnant animals from the experimental group were exposed to hypoxia and electromagnetic radiation for 6 days, while the control animals were sham-irradiated but not exposed to hypoxia. After birth the newborn rabbits were also divided into the experimental and control groups. Kits were slaughtered on the 20th and 30th days after birth and the lenses were removed. The lipid peroxidation intensity was estimated by the measurement of malondialdehyde in the lens tissue specimens. It was found that the redox status in the lenses of experimental rabbit kits changed towards oxidation, probably due to failure in the antioxidant defense mechanism. Thus, it was proven that prenatally induced disturbance of redox homeostasis negatively affected the postnatal period as well. No significant differences were found between the extent of lipid peroxidation by the 20th and 30th days of the postnatal period.