The Hidden Cost of Blue Light: Multiorgan Pathology Induced by LED Exposure in Mice
- 1Kuwait University Faculty of Medicine
Abstract
Life evolved under broad-spectrum sunlight (300-3500 nm), but most modern light-emitting diodes (LEDs) emit within a restricted visible range (350-650 nm) leaving lighting environments that are short-wavelength dominant. We ask if chronic 450nm exposure dominant in LEDs alters metabolism and organ integrity in ageing mice environmentally exposed at 13 mW/cm{superscript 2} for 5 h/day over 40 weeks, at an intensity within the range of human environmental exposures. Mice exhibited progressive weight gain despite reduced food intake, with altered glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity over time. White adipose tissue mass increased, while brown adipose tissue weight and UCP1 protein levels remained unchanged. Relative organ weights (heart, liver, kidney, testis) were each reduced by ~10%, with histopathology revealing fat deposition, hepatocellular degeneration, renal tubular damage, steatosis, and impaired testicular architecture. These findings demonstrate that chronic 450 nm light exposure is associated with metabolic alterations and multiorgan pathology in mice.
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BibTeX
@misc{alhussaini2026hidden,
title = {{The Hidden Cost of Blue Light: Multiorgan Pathology Induced by LED Exposure in Mice}},
author = {H. Al-Hussaini and L. Dsouza and S. M. Hasan and S. Madhyastha and M. al-onaizi and S. Rao and R. Kittaneh and B. Samaro and B. S. Abed and G. Jeffery},
howpublished = {bioRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.64898/2026.09.11.750850},
url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.11.750850v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - The Hidden Cost of Blue Light: Multiorgan Pathology Induced by LED Exposure in Mice
AU - H. Al-Hussaini
AU - L. Dsouza
AU - S. M. Hasan
AU - S. Madhyastha
AU - M. al-onaizi
AU - S. Rao
AU - R. Kittaneh
AU - B. Samaro
AU - B. S. Abed
AU - G. Jeffery
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/11
PB - bioRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.09.11.750850
UR - https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.11.750850v1
AB - Life evolved under broad-spectrum sunlight (300-3500 nm), but most modern light-emitting diodes (LEDs) emit within a restricted visible range (350-650 nm) leaving lighting environments that are short-wavelength dominant. We ask if chronic 450nm exposure dominant in LEDs alters metabolism and organ integrity in ageing mice environmentally exposed at 13 mW/cm{superscript 2} for 5 h/day over 40 weeks, at an intensity within the range of human environmental exposures. Mice exhibited progressive weight gain despite reduced food intake, with altered glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity over time. White adipose tissue mass increased, while brown adipose tissue weight and UCP1 protein levels remained unchanged. Relative organ weights (heart, liver, kidney, testis) were each reduced by ~10%, with histopathology revealing fat deposition, hepatocellular degeneration, renal tubular damage, steatosis, and impaired testicular architecture. These findings demonstrate that chronic 450 nm light exposure is associated with metabolic alterations and multiorgan pathology in mice.
ER -