๐ก The study investigates the potential health effects of long-term exposure to 4.9 GHz radiofrequency (RF), a frequency used in 5G communication, on the fecal microbiome and metabolome profiles in adult male C57BL/6 mice. The aim is to assess the influence of RF fields on gut microbiota and metabolic processes, considering the growing concern about the impact of RF on human health.
๐ Experimental Design: Mice were exposed to 4.9 GHz RF for three weeks, 1 hour per day, at an average power density of 50 W/mยฒ. Fecal samples were collected post-exposure for analysis of gut microorganisms using 16S rRNA gene sequencing and metabolites using LCโMS (liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry).
๐ Microbiota Alterations: Results revealed significant alterations in the intestinal microbial compositions in the RF-exposed group. Reduced microbial diversity and changes in community distribution were observed, indicating a potential impact of 4.9 GHz RF exposure on gut microbiota.
๐ Microbial Abundance Changes: ๐๐ช๐ณ๐ฎ๐ช๐ค๐ถ๐ต๐ฆ๐ด showed a marked increase in relative abundance, while ๐๐ข๐ค๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ช๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ต๐ฆ๐ด exhibited a non-significant decrease, resulting in a decreased ๐๐ข๐ค๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ช๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ต๐ฆ๐ด/๐๐ช๐ณ๐ฎ๐ช๐ค๐ถ๐ต๐ฆ๐ด (B/F) ratio. ๐๐ข๐ค๐ต๐ฐ๐ฃ๐ข๐ค๐ช๐ญ๐ญ๐ถ๐ด, a probiotic within ๐๐ช๐ณ๐ฎ๐ช๐ค๐ถ๐ต๐ฆ๐ด, significantly increased after RF exposure, suggesting a potential gut-protective role. ๐๐ถ๐ณ๐ช๐ฃ๐ข๐ค๐ถ๐ญ๐ข๐ค๐ฆ๐ข๐ฆ showed a significant reduction, consistent with previous findings associating it with radiation exposure.
๐ Metabolomic Profiling: Metabolomics identified 258 significantly differentially abundant metabolites in the RF-exposed group. These metabolites were mainly annotated into amino acid metabolic pathways. Key metabolites involved in tryptophan metabolism, such as Pyrroline hydroxycarboxylic acid and Indole-3-acetamide, showed extremely significant differences.
๐ Metabolites with Neuroregulatory Functions:
N-Acetylaspartylglutamic acid (NAAG), a neuropeptide with neuroprotective effects, significantly reduced in the RF-exposed group. This reduction may be associated with RF-induced depression-like behavior observed in previous studies. Decreased Indole-3-acetamide may contribute to insufficient activation of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) and further impact neuroendocrine and intestinal immune responses.
๐ Impact on Amino Acid Metabolism: Differential metabolites were mainly enriched in arginine and proline metabolism pathways, potentially causing damage to the body by affecting protein production. The role of amino acids in biological oxidation, cell metabolism, and protein synthesis may contribute to changes in immune regulation, gastrointestinal function, and overall body metabolism.
๐ Gut Microbiota-Metabolite Interactions: Functional correlation analysis showed significant correlations between changes in gut microbiota genera and alterations in fecal metabolites. ๐๐ข๐ค๐ช๐ญ๐ญ๐ถ๐ด ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐๐ช๐ง๐ช๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ฃ๐ข๐ค๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ๐ช๐ถ๐ฎ were notably correlated with most differential metabolites, suggesting their significant contributions to metabolic disturbances during RF exposure.
๐ This study provides evidence that 4.9 GHz RF exposure induces significant alterations in the gut microbiota and metabolic profiles of mice. The observed changes in microbial diversity, abundance, and metabolites, particularly those with neuroregulatory functions, suggest a potential link between RF exposure and physiological effects. Further investigations are needed to elucidate the mechanisms behind these observations and determine the biological significance of the observed phenomena.
Link to the Study : http://tinyurl.com/bdeuh8pw
