Low-Dose Ionizing Radiation and Male Reproductive Immunity: Elucidating Subtle Modulations and Long-Term Health Implications.

ABSTRACT: Low-dose ionizing radiation (LDIR) is a prevalent environmental factor with profound impacts on male reproductive health, particularly on the testicular immune microenvironment. This review examines the multifaceted effects of LDIR, emphasizing its ability to induce genotoxic stress, oxidative damage, and epigenetic modifications in reproductive cells. These alterations compromise DNA repair, disrupt chromatin structure, and induce immune dysregulation. Immune cells such as macrophages, T cells, natural killer cells, and dendritic cells exhibit significant functional changes under LDIR exposure, destabilizing the immune privilege critical for normal spermatogenesis. The long-term health implications of LDIR include impaired sperm quality, reduced fertility, and transgenerational risks thro

SUBMITTER: Yin J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11900348 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature