The biological effects of terahertz wave radiation-induced injury on neural stem cells

Authors: Wang Y, Xiong Y, Chen M, Liu F, He H, Ma Q, Gao P, Xiang G, Zhang L

Year: 2023 Jul 18

Category: Neuroscience

Journal: iScience

DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107418

URL: https://www.cell.com/iscience/fulltext/S2589-0042(23)01495-5

Abstract

Overview

Terahertz (THz) is an electromagnetic wave with a radiation wavelength range of 30-3000 μm and a frequency of 0.1-10 THz. With advancements in new THz sources and devices, THz waves have found wide applications across various fields. Despite this, there are limited studies on the biological effects of THz irradiation on human neural stem cells (hNSCs) and mouse neural stem cells (mNSCs), necessitating further investigation.

Methodology

  • Examined the biological effects of THz radiation on both hNSCs and mNSCs.
  • Analyzed the impact of THz irradiation time and average output power on proliferation, apoptosis, and DNA damage using flow cytometry and immunofluorescence.

Findings

  • The proliferation and apoptosis of neural stem cells were dose-dependently affected by THz irradiation time and average output power.
  • Human neural stem cells (hNSCs) were more susceptible to damage—showing greater reductions in proliferation and increased apoptosis—under the same terahertz irradiation conditions compared to mouse neural stem cells (mNSCs).

Conclusion

This study demonstrates a direct link between terahertz electromagnetic field exposure and biological injury to neural stem cells, emphasizing the need to carefully consider EMF safety in environments using THz technologies.

terahertz radiation neural stem cells electromagnetic fields apoptosis DNA damage proliferation human and mouse comparison
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