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Reproductive Health

Prolonged 3.5 GHz and 24 GHz RF-EMF Exposure Alters Testicular Immune Balance, Apoptotic Gene Expression, and Sperm Function in Rats

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Syed Taha SMA, Jaffar FHF, Hairulazam A, Vijay S, Jamaludin N, Zulkifli AF, Mat Ros MF, Osman K, Zakaria Z, Mohd Bahar MAA, et al. · 2025

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Sperm concentration and viability were reduced after 24 GHz exposure at 7 h, while sperm motility was reduced after 3.5 GHz exposure at both durations.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Male Sprague Dawley rats (n = 6 per group) were exposed for 60 days to 3.5 GHz or 24 GHz RF-EMF for 1 h/day or 7 h/day, and testicular cytokines, apoptosis-related genes, and sperm quality were evaluated. IL-10 was significantly reduced in the 24 GHz group at both 1-h and 7-h exposure duration, and at 7 h TNF-α was also lower at 24 GHz. Casp3 expression was higher and Tp53 was lower at 3.5 GHz at 1-h exposure duration. Sperm concentration and viability were reduced after 24 GHz exposure at 7 h, while sperm motility was reduced after 3.5 GHz exposure at both durations.

Why This Matters

The rapid rollout of 5G renewed interest in potential reproductive effects of mid-band (3.5 GHz) and millimeter-wave (24 GHz) RF-EMF, and the study examined frequency- and duration-dependent changes in testicular cytokines, apoptosis-related genes, and sperm quality in rats. The researchers concluded that 3.5 GHz exposure primarily impacts sperm motility via extrinsic pro-apoptotic pathways, while 24 GHz exposure impacts sperm concentration and viability potentially through immune–apoptotic mechanisms, with all negative effects amplified by 7-h daily exposure.

Exposure Information

A logarithmic frequency spectrum from 10 Hz to 100 GHz showing where this study's 3.5 GHz and 24 GHz exposure sits relative to common EMF sources.Where This Frequency Sits on the EMF SpectrumELFVLFLF / MFHF / VHFUHFSHFmm10 Hz100 GHzThis study: 3.5 GHz and 24 GHzPower lines50/60 HzCell phones~1 GHz5G mm28 GHzLogarithmic scale

Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study.

Cite This Study
Syed Taha SMA, Jaffar FHF, Hairulazam A, Vijay S, Jamaludin N, Zulkifli AF, Mat Ros MF, Osman K, Zakaria Z, Mohd Bahar MAA, et al. (2025). Prolonged 3.5 GHz and 24 GHz RF-EMF Exposure Alters Testicular Immune Balance, Apoptotic Gene Expression, and Sperm Function in Rats.
Show BibTeX
@article{prolonged_35_ghz_and_24_ghz_rf_emf_exposure_alters_testicular_immune_balance_apoptotic_gene_expression_and_sperm_function_in_rats_ce3052,
  author = {Syed Taha SMA and Jaffar FHF and Hairulazam A and Vijay S and Jamaludin N and Zulkifli AF and Mat Ros MF and Osman K and Zakaria Z and Mohd Bahar MAA and et al.},
  title = {Prolonged 3.5 GHz and 24 GHz RF-EMF Exposure Alters Testicular Immune Balance, Apoptotic Gene Expression, and Sperm Function in Rats},
  year = {2025},
  doi = {10.3390/biomedicines13102471},
  
}
DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines13102471PubMed: 41153756

Quick Questions About This Study

Male Sprague Dawley rats were exposed for 60 days to 3.5 GHz or 24 GHz RF-EMF for 1 hour or 7 hours per day.
IL-10 was significantly reduced in the 24 GHz group at both exposure durations, and TNF-α was also lower at 7 hours.
Casp3 expression was higher and Tp53 was lower at 3.5 GHz with 1-hour exposure duration.
Sperm concentration and viability were reduced after 24 GHz exposure at 7 hours, while sperm motility was reduced after 3.5 GHz exposure at both durations.
They concluded that 3.5 GHz exposure primarily impacts sperm motility via extrinsic pro-apoptotic pathways, while 24 GHz exposure impacts sperm concentration and viability potentially through immune–apoptotic mechanisms, with all negative effects amplified by 7-hour daily exposure.