Abstract
In recent years, intense interest has been drawn to the effects of radio-frequency electromagnetic field (RF-EMF) on reproduction. To explore the effects of RF-EMF on sperm maturation in epididymis microenvironment, 24 male Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into three exposed groups (SAR 1, 2 and 4 W/kg) and one sham group. The rats in exposed group were exposed to 1.84 GHz RF-EMF for 5 days (1 h/day). After that, the rats were anaesthetized immediately and epididymis were taken out. Half of them were fixed in 4% formalin and the others were placed in tissue homogenate. The morphology of sperm and microstructure of epididymis were observed under microscope after hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining. Expression of Bin1b protein was detected by immunohistochemistry; the level of glutathione (GSH) and enzymes including superoxide dismutase (SOD), acid phosphatase (ACP), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and disaccharidase were determined by commercial kits. It was found that, compared with sham group, the sperm morphology and microstructure of epididymis did not change obviously; similarly, there was no significant change in Bin1b protein expression and the levels of GSH, SOD, ACP and ALP in exposure group. These results suggest that 1.84 GHz RF-EMF under this experimental condition could not affect the sperm maturation in epididymis micro-environment of SD rats. Key words: 1.84 GHz, radio-frequency electromagnetic field (RF-EMF), epididymis, sperm maturation, Bin1b.
Highlights
IntroductionIt was found that the RFEMF (spectral bandwidth ranging from 300KHz-300 GHz) used in communication devices had various biological effects (Megha et al, 2015; Wang et al, 2015; Trivino et al, 2012)
These results suggest that 1.84 GHz radio-frequency electromagnetic field (RF-EMF) under this experimental condition could not affect the sperm maturation in epididymis microenvironment of Sprague Dawley (SD) rats
The protein levels of Bin1b in different SAR groups did not change significantly. These results suggest that 1.84 GHz RF-EMF could not affect Bin1b protein expression in epididymis (Figure 3)
Summary
It was found that the RFEMF (spectral bandwidth ranging from 300KHz-300 GHz) used in communication devices had various biological effects (Megha et al, 2015; Wang et al, 2015; Trivino et al, 2012). The biological effects of 1.84 GHz RF-EMF, which are widely selected for mobile communication in China are rarely reported. Epididymis provide an important microenvironment for sperm maturation. They enter epididymis for maturation and stay here. Some important enzymes in epididymal fluid such as ACP could promote sperm maturation and motility (Li et al, 2005; Wang et al, 2006). Once the epididymis microenvironment is damaged, sperm maturation could be harmed and result in infertility
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