[Reactions of the connective-tissue components of the skin of rats to electrostatic fields]

The skin connective tissue of rats exposed to a 60 kV/m or 90 kV/m electrostatic field for 3, 14 or 30 days was investigated biochemically and histochemically. The experiments were carried out on 60 male Wistar rats in a condensation-type chamber. This exposure produced certain biochemical changes in the skin. The exposure to a 60 kV/m field was accompanied by a rapid adaptation: minor biochemical changes in the skin returned to normal by the end of the experiment. The exposure to a 90 kV/m field produced biochemical changes that were initially transient and later transformed to distinct shifts in the concentrations of carbohydrate-containing biopolymers. This was indicative of a mismatch in their synthesis and degradation and dysfunction of skin connective tissue structures.