# WEB-049 — 100 GHz: mitochondrial membranes and cellular respiration

Why this matters
Mitochondria supply energy for much of a cell’s work. This study examined their membranes and function together, reporting structural changes and reduced components of respiration after exposure. It is a useful mechanistic finding to investigate beyond a simple live-or-dead cell count.

Id: WEB-049

Author: Lei et al.

Full Authors: Mengyao Lei; Tingrong Zhang; Xiaoyun Lu; Xiaofei Zhao; Hongguang Wang; Jiangang Long; Zhuoyang Lu

Year: 2024

Title: Membrane-mediated modulation of mitochondrial physiology by terahertz waves

Journal: Biomedical optics express

Citation: Mengyao Lei; Tingrong Zhang; Xiaoyun Lu; Xiaofei Zhao; Hongguang Wang; Jiangang Long; Zhuoyang Lu. Membrane-mediated modulation of mitochondrial physiology by terahertz waves. Biomedical optics express. 2024. doi:10.1364/boe.528706.

Doi: 10.1364/boe.528706

Pmid: 39022554

Topic: Sub-terahertz biological responses; Mitochondrial membrane responses; Cellular respiration

Verification Group: Original text reviewed

Record Role: Original text reviewed

Featured: False

Exposure: Continuous 100 GHz (0.1 THz), approximately 33 mW/cm² for 30 min; cells at about 20°C, isolated mitochondria in an ice bath.

Design: SH-SY5Y human neuroblast-like cells and isolated mitochondria; microscopy, enzyme assays, respirometry and lipid simulations.

Finding: Mitochondrial ultrastructure and supercomplex organisation changed. Basal/ATP-linked respiration declined; individual respiratory-complex activities increased. Maximal/reserve respiratory capacity was unchanged.

Statistics: See the original results; effect sizes were not independently recalculated.

Boundary: Cultured cancer-derived cells and isolated organelles, outside physiological-temperature conditions. Infrared thermometry and heat-shock markers do not exclude every local thermal contribution. No organism-level disease or 6G exposure was tested.

Related:  Related publication records: WEB-050.

Protection Question: Which exposure conditions reproduce this finding, and what would establish its relevance beyond the experimental model?

Access: Original methods/results and interpretation reviewed; raw data and supplements were not independently audited.

Locator: Original methods and results

Notice: Linked Europe PMC/PubMed notice fields checked 21 October 2026; no correction/retraction surfaced for this record. Publisher/citation screening is not exhaustive.

Funding: See original disclosure; funding details were not established in this check.

Conflicts: See original disclosure; no independently verified conflict assessment.

Source Url: https://doi.org/10.1364/boe.528706

Retrieval Links: https://doi.org/10.1364/boe.528706 | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39022554/ | https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11249691/

Verification Date: 2026-10-21

Discovery Id: TARGETED-20261021-22

Technology Tracks: 6g

Technology Connection: Higher-frequency laboratory biology relevant to investigating proposed future bands; not a test of a final 6G standard.

Publication Type: Original journal research

Study Setting: Cells / isolated tissue

Browse Categories: cells|brain