Blue Light Effect on Metabolic Changes in Induced Precocious Puberty in Rats

Modern life, characterized by constant exposure to artificial light from electronic devices, such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs), disrupts the natural circadian rhythm and induces important metabolic changes. The impact of blue light exposure on male and female rat's onset of puberty, hormonal and biochemical parameters was assessed by comparison between the four study groups: the control group (CTRL) maintained under normal light conditions, the group exposed to blue light from a mobile phone (MP), the group subjected to blue light from a computer screen (PC), and the group exposed to blue light from an LED lamp (LED). Both female and male rats exposed to PC and LED failed to thrive, with a significantly lower body weight intake than the CTRL group. All three distinct sources of blue light interfered with the cyclicity of the estrous cycle in female rats. A marked decrease in the number of complete estrous cycles and the highest incidence of incomplete cycles were noticed in the LED group. Elevated ALT, AST, glucose, and insulin levels were influenced in a gender-specific manner, and depending on the source of emitted light. Prolonged blue light exposure induces significant metabolic disruptions and possesses important future research potential in identifying explicit pathways regarding this environmental stressor.