Cellular effects of terahertz waves

2021 · Unclear · Insufficient evidence

← Research stream

UnclearInsufficient evidencePaper 1046

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2021

Study typereview

Reported directionUnclear

Evidence ratingInsufficient

Abstract

Cellular effects of terahertz waves Cherkasova OP, Serdyukov DS, Nemova EF, Ratushnyak AS, Kucheryavenko AS, Dolganova IN, Xu G, Skorobogatiy M, Reshetov IV, Timashev PS, Spektor IE, Zaytsev KI, Tuchin VV. Cellular effects of terahertz waves. J Biomed Opt. 2021 Sep;26(9). doi: 10.1117/1.JBO.26.9.090902. Abstract Significance: An increasing interest in the area of biological effects at exposure of tissues and cells to the terahertz (THz) radiation is driven by a rapid progress in THz biophotonics, observed during the past decades. Despite the attractiveness of THz technology for medical diagnosis and therapy, there is still quite limited knowledge about safe limits of THz exposure. Different modes of THz exposure of tissues and cells, including continuous-wave versus pulsed radiation, various powers, and number and duration of exposure cycles, ought to be systematically studied. Aim: We provide an overview of recent research results in the area of biological effects at exposure of tissues and cells to THz waves. Approach: We start with a brief overview of general features of the THz-wave-tissue interactions, as well as modern THz emitters, with an emphasis on those that are reliable for studying the biological effects of THz waves. Then, we consider three levels of biological system organization, at which the exposure effects are considered: (i) solutions of biological molecules; (ii) cultures of cells, individual cells, and cell structures; and (iii) entire organs or organisms; special attention is devoted to the cellular level. We distinguish thermal and nonthermal mechanisms of THz-wave-cell interactions and discuss a problem of adequate estimation of the THz biological effects' specificity. The problem of experimental data reproducibility, caused by rareness of the THz experimental setups and an absence of unitary protocols, is also considered. Results: The summarized data demonstrate the current stage of the research activity and knowledge about the THz exposure on living objects. Conclusions: This review helps the biomedical optics community to summarize up-to-date knowledge in the area of cell exposure to THz radiation, and paves the ways for the development of THz safety standards and THz therapeutic applications. Conclusion Recent research results in the area of THz-wave effects on biological systems of the different organization levels, such as biomolecules, cells, and organism, were discussed. Despite the considerable data accumulated in this demanding research direction, we still possess quite limited knowledge about biological effects of THz waves. Further research and engineering efforts are required to develop adequate safe limits of THz-wave exposure and to objectively uncover strengths and weaknesses of THz technology in different branches of medial therapy. Thus, this review summarizes up-to-date knowledge in the area of cell exposure to THz radiation and paves the ways to the THz dosimetry and therapeutic avenues. Open access paper: spiedigitallibrary.org 09/090902/Cellular-effects-of-terahertz-waves/10.1117/1.JBO.26.9.090902.full

Machine Enhanced Logic

AI evidence extraction

Structured fields below were generated from the paper’s abstract and metadata to make the evidence easier to inspect. Automated extraction may be incomplete or incorrect; verify important details against the original paper.

Study typereview

Effect directionunclear

PopulationNot supplied

Sample sizeNot supplied

ExposureTHz

Evidence strengthInsufficientConfidence: 74% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

This review summarizes recent research on biological effects of terahertz-wave exposure across biomolecules, cells, and organisms, with special attention to cellular-level effects and thermal vs nonthermal mechanisms. The authors conclude that despite accumulated data, knowledge about biological effects and safe exposure limits for THz radiation remains limited and that further research and engineering efforts are needed, including improved reproducibility and standardized protocols.

Outcomes measured

THz-wave interactions with tissues/cells (overview)
Cellular effects of THz exposure (thermal and nonthermal mechanisms discussed)
Biomolecule-level effects (solutions of biological molecules)
Effects in organs/organisms (overview)
Reproducibility and protocol standardization issues in THz bioeffects research
Implications for THz dosimetry and safety limits/standards (discussion)

Limitations

Limited knowledge base on safe limits of THz exposure noted by authors
Reproducibility challenges due to rarity of THz experimental setups
Absence of unitary/standardized experimental protocols
Heterogeneity in exposure modes (continuous vs pulsed), powers, and exposure cycles highlighted as needing systematic study

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "review",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "THz",
    "source": null,
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": null
  },
  "population": null,
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "THz-wave interactions with tissues/cells (overview)",
    "Cellular effects of THz exposure (thermal and nonthermal mechanisms discussed)",
    "Biomolecule-level effects (solutions of biological molecules)",
    "Effects in organs/organisms (overview)",
    "Reproducibility and protocol standardization issues in THz bioeffects research",
    "Implications for THz dosimetry and safety limits/standards (discussion)"
  ],
  "main_findings": "This review summarizes recent research on biological effects of terahertz-wave exposure across biomolecules, cells, and organisms, with special attention to cellular-level effects and thermal vs nonthermal mechanisms. The authors conclude that despite accumulated data, knowledge about biological effects and safe exposure limits for THz radiation remains limited and that further research and engineering efforts are needed, including improved reproducibility and standardized protocols.",
  "effect_direction": "unclear",
  "limitations": [
    "Limited knowledge base on safe limits of THz exposure noted by authors",
    "Reproducibility challenges due to rarity of THz experimental setups",
    "Absence of unitary/standardized experimental protocols",
    "Heterogeneity in exposure modes (continuous vs pulsed), powers, and exposure cycles highlighted as needing systematic study"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "insufficient",
  "confidence": 0.74,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "terahertz",
    "THz radiation",
    "cellular effects",
    "bioeffects",
    "thermal mechanisms",
    "nonthermal mechanisms",
    "dosimetry",
    "safety standards",
    "reproducibility",
    "protocols",
    "biophotonics",
    "biomedical optics"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "5g-policy",
      "weight": 0.25,
      "reason": "Discusses THz radiation safety limits/standards development; THz is adjacent to emerging high-frequency communications, though 5G is not explicitly mentioned."
    }
  ]
}

AI can be wrong. Always verify against the paper.

AI-extracted fields are generated from the abstract and metadata and may be incomplete or incorrect. This material is for informational purposes and is not medical advice.

Identifiers and source

DOI: 10.1117/1.jbo.26.9.090902
PubMed: Not supplied

Read the original paper →

Related papers

← Back to the Research Library