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Updated: Jul 1, 2026

Ex Vivo Assessment of Contractility, Fatigability and Alternans in Isolated Skeletal Muscles
Published on: November 1, 2012
Long-lasting (fatiguing) activity of isolated muscle fibres influenced by microwave electromagnetic field
N Radicheva1, K Mileva, B Georgieva
1Institute of Biophysics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia. ninar@bio.bas.bg
Abstract:
The study aims to clarify the effect of exposure to microwave electromagnetic field (MMW) on muscle fibre fatigue. Repetitive stimulation with interstimulus interval of 200 ms was applied on isolated frog muscle fibre to evoke intracellular action potentials and twitch contractions. After their recording muscle fibre preparation was moved in a Petri dish with radius of 28 mm on open air for one hour exposure to continuous MMW with frequency of 2.45 GHz and power density of 20 mW/cm2. Then it was again moved in the chamber with non irradiated Ringer's solution at controlled temperature for the repeated records. After MMW exposure the changes in amplitude and time parameters characterizing fatigue were attenuated and delayed vs. controls. The twitch amplitude curve described an drastic fall in the first 5 sec followed by an increase and next decrease. MMW (2.45 GHz) have a specific, non-thermal influence on muscle fibre activity resulting in some resistance to fatigue.
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