Early-life exposure to 27.5 GHz 5G millimeter-wave radiation induces skin-related biological responses in mice

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MixedLow evidencePaper 6883

Exposure to 27.5 GHz 5G millimeter-wave radiation in early-life mice induced significant modulation of inflammation-related gene expression, stimulated mast cell degranulation, reduced cutaneous glutamate levels in wild-type mice, and down-regulated sensory-r…

Study snapshot

Publicationpubmed · Unknown

Study typeanimal

Reported directionMixed

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Sci Rep . 2026 Jun 8. doi: 10.1038/s41598-026-57133-w. Online ahead of print. Early-life exposure to 27.5 GHz 5G millimeter-wave radiation induces skin-related biological responses in mice Francesca Palone # 1, Emiliano Fratini # 1, Flavia Novelli 1, Simona Leonardi 1, Ilaria De Stefano 1, Emanuela Pasquali 1, Mirella Tanori 1, Rosanna Pinto 1, Lucia Ardoino 1, Alessandro Zambotti 1, Francesca Camera 1, Marta Piscitelli 1, Caterina Merla 1, Simonetta Pazzaglia 1, Myles Capstick 2, Theodoros Samaras 3 4, Mariateresa Mancuso 5 Affiliations Expand PMID: 42260123 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-026-57133-w Free article Abstract The global rollout of 5G networks has raised questions regarding the potential biological effects of millimeter-wave exposure, particularly in the skin due to its limited penetration depth. This study examined the effects of whole-body exposure to 27.5 GHz millimeter waves, a frequency within the 5G FR2 bands, on skin-related biological responses in early life mice. Patched1- heterozygous knockout and wild-type CD1 mice were exposed from birth to weaning (P21), 23 h per day, in 10-minute ON/5-minute OFF cycles, at two power densities (6.67 and 20 W/m²). SHAM-exposed animals served as a control. No overt histological abnormalities were observed in exposed skin. However, molecular analyses revealed significant modulation of inflammation-related gene expression. Notably, Ccl4, Csf2, and Tnfsf11 emerged as central regulatory nodes, displaying high degree and betweenness centrality across all groups, irrespective of genotype and sex. Crucially, exposure significantly stimulated mast cell degranulation and, in wild-type mice, led to a reduction in cutaneous glutamate levels. Concurrently, a down-regulation of transcripts associated with cutaneous sensory components (Calca, Mrgprd) was observed within the skin microenvironment. These findings show that 27.5 GHz exposure induces coordinated changes in cutaneous inflammatory pathways and mast cell-mediated homeostasis without detectable structural damage. Overall, these results demonstrate a localized molecular and cellular response within the cutaneous microenvironment, reflecting a subtle homeostatic shift, and suggest that genetic background may contribute to variability in the biological response to millimeter-wave exposure. Keywords: Ptch1 +/− mice; Inflammation, Mast cells; MMW; Radiofrequency radiation.

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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 typeanimal

Effect directionmixed

Populationmice (Patched1- heterozygous knockout and wild-type CD1)

Sample sizeNot supplied

ExposuremmWave · 27500 MHz · from birth to weaning (P21), 23 h per day, in 10-minute ON/5-minute OFF cycles

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 40% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Outcomes measured

inflammation-related gene expression modulation
mast cell degranulation
cutaneous glutamate level reduction
down-regulation of transcripts associated with cutaneous sensory components
no overt histological abnormalities in skin

Limitations

study conducted in mice, limiting direct human applicability
sample size not specified
only early-life exposure assessed
no functional or clinical skin outcomes reported

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "animal",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "mmWave",
    "source": "5G millimeter-wave radiation",
    "frequency_mhz": 27500,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "from birth to weaning (P21), 23 h per day, in 10-minute ON/5-minute OFF cycles"
  },
  "population": "mice (Patched1- heterozygous knockout and wild-type CD1)",
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "inflammation-related gene expression modulation",
    "mast cell degranulation",
    "cutaneous glutamate level reduction",
    "down-regulation of transcripts associated with cutaneous sensory components",
    "no overt histological abnormalities in skin"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Exposure to 27.5 GHz 5G millimeter-wave radiation in early-life mice induced significant modulation of inflammation-related gene expression, stimulated mast cell degranulation, reduced cutaneous glutamate levels in wild-type mice, and down-regulated sensory-related transcripts without causing structural skin damage.",
  "effect_direction": "mixed",
  "limitations": [
    "study conducted in mice, limiting direct human applicability",
    "sample size not specified",
    "only early-life exposure assessed",
    "no functional or clinical skin outcomes reported"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.4,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "5G",
    "millimeter-wave",
    "skin",
    "inflammation",
    "mast cells",
    "radiofrequency radiation",
    "Ptch1 +/− mice"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "5g-policy",
      "weight": 0.8,
      "reason": "Study investigates biological effects of 5G millimeter-wave exposure."
    }
  ]
}

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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: Not supplied
PubMed: 42260123

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