Efeito do uso dos aparelhos de telefone celular sobre a expressão de citocinas em saliva produzida pela glândulas salivares parótidas

Abstract

There is controversy on the effects and impact of the non-ionizing radiation emitted by cell phones on physiological mechanisms. Conflicting results were reported on the association between cell phone use and parotid tumor development. Chronic inflammation is associated with an increased risk for cancer, such as seen in ulcerative colitis. To evaluate the effect that cell phone use has on the parotid gland, cytokine expression profile was determined in the saliva produced by the parotid glands in healthy volunteers, and correlated with self-reported cell phone use and laterality. The following parameters were determined, in 83 Brazilian individuals in saliva produced by the parotid glands comparing the saliva from the gland exposed to cell phone radiation (ipsilateral) to that from the contralateral parotid: salivary flow, total protein concentration, IL-1, IL-6, IL-10, IFN- and TNF- by ELISA. After multiple testing correction, decreased IL-10 and increased IL-1 salivary levels in the ipsilateral side compared with the contralateral side (p<0,05) were detected. Subjects who used cell phones for more than 10 years presented higher differences between IL-10 levels in ipsilateral versus contralateral parotids (p=0,0012). No difference was observed in any of the tested parameters in correlation with cell phone monthly usage in minutes. We conclude that exposure of parotid glands to cell phones can alter salivary IL-10 and IL-1 levels. These findings suggest a pro-inflammatory profile on parotid naturally exposed to cell phones, which can be associated not only to the radiation emitted by the device but with the warming caused by radiation and the battery of the cell during use.