Effects of paternal 5G RFR exposure on health of male offspring mice

IF 3.4 4区医学 Q2 REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY

Reproductive toxicology Pub Date : 2026-03-01 Epub Date: 2025-12-12 DOI:10.1016/j.reprotox.2025.109139

Zhang Zhaowen , Guo Ling , Zhou Guiqiang , Lin Jiajin , Qin Tongzhou , Li Jiangyi , Li Jing , Wang Fuli , Ding Guirong

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

With the widespread application of 5G communication technology, the potential health risks of radiofrequency radiation (RFR) have been paid much attention. Prior studies have demonstrated that the testes are highly sensitive to RFR, and notably, paternal epigenetic modifications can be transmitted to offspring, impacting their reproductive and neurobehavioral phenotypes. To investigate the intergenerational effects of paternal exposure to 5 G RFR on male offspring health, 7–8-week-old male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into Sham group and 4.9 GHz RFR group (16 mice per group). The mice in 4.9 GHz RFR group were exposed to 4.9 GHz RFR for 1 h/d over 42 consecutive days. Male offspring derived from exposed males and unexposed females were raised to adulthood. Anxiety and depression-like behaviors, learning and memory capabilities, sperm quality, and fertility in male offspring were assessed. Paternal testicular LRGUK gene (sperm motility-related) methylation, mRNA, and protein expression were detected. The results showed that paternal 5G RFR exposure induced anxiety-like behaviors and impaired sperm quality in F1 males, potentially associated with RFR-induced hypermethylation of paternal LRGUK gene and subsequent down regulation of its expression in offspring testes. No significant effects were observed on depression-like behaviors, cognitive performance, or fertility across F1-F2 generations. These findings indicated that paternal 5G RFR exposure induced intergenerational adverse effects on F1 males, potentially mediated by germ cell epigenetic modifications.

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父本5G RFR暴露对雄性子代小鼠健康的影响。

随着5G通信技术的广泛应用，射频辐射（RFR）的潜在健康风险日益受到人们的关注。先前的研究表明，睾丸对RFR高度敏感，值得注意的是，父亲的表观遗传修饰可以传递给后代，影响他们的生殖和神经行为表型。为了研究父亲接触5G RFR对雄性后代健康的代际影响，将7-8周龄雄性C57BL/6小鼠随机分为Sham组和4.9GHz RFR组（每组16只）。4.9GHz RFR组小鼠连续42天，每天1小时暴露于4.9GHz RFR。受辐射的雄性和未受辐射的雌性所生的雄性后代被抚养到成年。评估了男性后代的焦虑和抑郁样行为、学习和记忆能力、精子质量和生育能力。检测父亲睾丸LRGUK基因（精子活力相关）甲基化、mRNA和蛋白表达。结果表明，父本5G RFR暴露诱导F1雄性焦虑样行为和精子质量受损，可能与RFR诱导的父本LRGUK基因高甲基化及其随后在后代睾丸中表达下调有关。F1-F2代对抑郁样行为、认知表现或生育能力没有显著影响。这些发现表明，父本5G RFR暴露可能通过生殖细胞表观遗传修饰介导，对F1雄性产生代际不良影响。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Reproductive toxicology 生物-毒理学

CiteScore

6.50

自引率

3.00%

发文量

131

审稿时长

45 days

期刊介绍： Drawing from a large number of disciplines, Reproductive Toxicology publishes timely, original research on the influence of chemical and physical agents on reproduction. Written by and for obstetricians, pediatricians, embryologists, teratologists, geneticists, toxicologists, andrologists, and others interested in detecting potential reproductive hazards, the journal is a forum for communication among researchers and practitioners. Articles focus on the application of in vitro, animal and clinical research to the practice of clinical medicine. All aspects of reproduction are within the scope of Reproductive Toxicology, including the formation and maturation of male and female gametes, sexual function, the events surrounding the fusion of gametes and the development of the fertilized ovum, nourishment and transport of the conceptus within the genital tract, implantation, embryogenesis, intrauterine growth, placentation and placental function, parturition, lactation and neonatal survival. Adverse reproductive effects in males will be considered as significant as adverse effects occurring in females. To provide a balanced presentation of approaches, equal emphasis will be given to clinical and animal or in vitro work. Typical end points that will be studied by contributors include infertility, sexual dysfunction, spontaneous abortion, malformations, abnormal histogenesis, stillbirth, intrauterine growth retardation, prematurity, behavioral abnormalities, and perinatal mortality.