Abstract
BackgroundThe decreased reproductive capacity of men is an important factor contributing to infertility. Accumulating evidence has shown that Electromagnetic radiation potentially has negative effects on human health. However, whether radio frequency electromagnetic radiation (RF-EMR) affects the human reproductive system still requires further investigation. Therefore, The present study investigates whether RF-EMR at a frequency of 900 MHz can trigger sperm cell apoptosis and affect semen morphology, concentration, and microstructure.MethodsTwenty four rats were exposed to 900 MHz electromagnetic radiation with a special absorption rate of 0.66 ± 0.01 W/kg for 2 h/d. After 50d, the sperm count, morphology, apoptosis, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC), representing the sum of enzymatic and nonenzymatic antioxidants, were investigated. Western blotting and reverse transcriptase PCR were used to determine the expression levels of apoptosis-related proteins and genes, including bcl-2, bax, cytochrome c, and capase-3.ResultsIn the present study, the percentage of apoptotic sperm cells in the exposure group was significantly increased by 91.42 % compared with the control group. Moreover, the ROS concentration in exposure group was increased by 46.21 %, while the TAC was decreased by 28.01 %. Radiation also dramatically decreased the protein and mRNA expression of bcl-2 and increased that of bax, cytochrome c, and capase-3.ConclusionRF-EMR increases the ROS level and decreases TAC in rat sperm. Excessive oxidative stress alters the expression levels of apoptosis-related genes and triggers sperm apoptosis through bcl-2, bax, cytochrome c and caspase-3 signaling pathways.
Highlights
The decreased reproductive capacity of men is an important factor contributing to infertility, and RF-Electromagnetic radiation (EMR) may contribute to this condition [16]
More studies have indicated that radiation intensity and duration of radio frequency electromagnetic radiation (RF-EMR) will influence the parameters of male reproduction capacity; these parameters include the concentration [20], mobility, morphology [21], viability of sperm cells [16, 20, 22] and sperm apoptosis [23]
Sperm count and malformation No significant difference in the epididymal weights was observed between the control and exposure groups after 50 d of exposure to RF-EMR at 900 MHz
Summary
The decreased reproductive capacity of men is an important factor contributing to infertility. Accumulating evidence has shown that Electromagnetic radiation potentially has negative effects on human health. Whether radio frequency electromagnetic radiation (RF-EMR) affects the human reproductive system still requires further investigation. The present study investigates whether RF-EMR at a frequency of 900 MHz can trigger sperm cell apoptosis and affect semen morphology, concentration, and microstructure. Electromagnetic radiation (EMR) is emitted at a low-level radiofrequency (RF) between 800 and 2500 MHz. Accumulating evidence has shown that RF-EMR potentially produces negative effects on human health [1]. The decreased reproductive capacity of men is an important factor contributing to infertility, and RF-EMR may contribute to this condition [16]. RF-EMR affects or destroys leydig cells, which are adjacent to the seminiferous tubules [24], and decreases the diameter of seminiferous tubule [25] and the weight of testicular organs [26]
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