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The present experiment was designed to study the 2.45 GHz low-level microwave (MW) irradiation-induced stress response and its effect on implantation or pregnancy in female mice. Twelve-week-old mice were exposed to MW radiation (continuous wave for 2 h/day for 45 days, frequency 2.45 GHz, power density=0.033549 mW/cm(2), and specific absorption rate=0.023023 W/kg). At the end of a total of 45 days of exposure, mice were sacrificed, implantation sites were monitored, blood was processed to study stress parameters (hemoglobin, RBC and WBC count, and neutrophil/lymphocyte (N/L) ratio), the brain was processed for comet assay, and plasma was used for nitric oxide (NO), progesterone and estradiol estimation. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the activities of ROS-scavenging enzymes- superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase-were determined in the liver, kidney and ovary. We observed that implantation sites were affected significantly in MW-irradiated mice as compared to control. Further, in addition to a significant increase in ROS, hemoglobin (p<0.001), RBC and WBC counts (p<0.001), N/L ratio (p<0.01), DNA damage (p<0.001) in brain cells, and plasma estradiol concentration (p<0.05), a significant decrease was observed in NO level (p<0.05) and antioxidant enzyme activities of MW-exposed mice. Our findings led us to conclude that a low level of MW irradiation-induced oxidative stress not only suppresses implantation, but it may also lead to deformity of the embryo in case pregnancy continues. We also suggest that MW radiation-induced oxidative stress by increasing ROS production in the body may lead to DNA strand breakage in the brain cells and implantation failure/resorption or abnormal pregnancy in mice.

Electromagnetic radiations are reported to produce long-term and short-term biological effects, which are of great concern to human health due to increasing use of devices emitting EMR especially microwave (MW) radiation in our daily life. In view of the unavoidable use of MW emitting devices (microwaves oven, mobile phones, Wi-Fi, etc.) and their harmful effects on biological system, it was thought worthwhile to investigate the long-term effects of low-level MW irradiation on the reproductive function of male Swiss strain mice and its mechanism of action. Twelve-week-old mice were exposed to non-thermal low-level 2.45-GHz MW radiation (CW for 2 h/day for 30 days, power density = 0.029812 mW/cm(2) and SAR = 0.018 W/Kg). Sperm count and sperm viability test were done as well as vital organs were processed to study different stress parameters. Plasma was used for testosterone and testis for 3β HSD assay. Immunohistochemistry of 3β HSD and nitric oxide synthase (i-NOS) was also performed in testis. We observed that MW irradiation induced a significant decrease in sperm count and sperm viability along with the decrease in seminiferous tubule diameter and degeneration of seminiferous tubules. Reduction in testicular 3β HSD activity and plasma testosterone levels was also noted in the exposed group of mice. Increased expression of testicular i-NOS was observed in the MW-irradiated group of mice. Further, these adverse reproductive effects suggest that chronic exposure to nonionizing MW radiation may lead to infertility via free radical species-mediated pathway.

A close association between microwave (MW) radiation exposure and neurobehavioral disorders has been postulated but the direct effects of MW radiation on central nervous system still remains contradictory. This study was performed to understand the effect of short (15 days) and long-term (30 and 60 days) low-level MW radiation exposure on hippocampus with special reference to spatial learning and memory and its underlying mechanism in Swiss strain male mice, Mus musculus. Twelve-weeks old mice were exposed to 2.45 GHz MW radiation (continuous-wave [CW] with overall average power density of 0.0248 mW/cm(2) and overall average whole body specific absorption rate value of 0.0146 W/Kg) for 2 h/day over a period of 15, 30, and 60 days). Spatial learning and memory was monitored by Morris Water Maze. We have checked the alterations in hippocampal oxidative/nitrosative stress, neuronal morphology, and expression of pro-apoptotic proteins (p53 and Bax), inactive executioner Caspase- (pro-Caspase-3), and uncleaved Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 in the hippocampal subfield neuronal and nonneuronal cells (DG, CA1, CA2, and CA3). We observed that, short-term as well as long-term 2.45 GHz MW radiation exposure increases the oxidative/nitrosative stress leading to enhanced apoptosis in hippocampal subfield neuronal and nonneuronal cells. Present findings also suggest that learning and spatial memory deficit which increases with the increased duration of MW exposure (15 < 30 < 60 days) is correlated with a decrease in hippocampal subfield neuronal arborization and dendritic spines. These findings led us to conclude that exposure to CW MW radiation leads to oxidative/nitrosative stress induced p53-dependent/independent activation of hippocampal neuronal and nonneuronal apoptosis associated with spatial memory loss.

Microwave (MW) radiation induced oxidative stress reduces dendritic arborization, spine density and number of hippocampal pyramidal neurons and hence, impair learning and spatial memory through p53-dependent/independent apoptosis of hippocampal neuronal and nonneuronal cells. However, the mechanisms responsible for MW radiation induced impairment in memory formation remains still unknown. This study elucidates the effect of short (15 days) and long-term (30 and 60 days) low level 2.45 GHz MW radiation-induced local stress on the hippocampal spatial memory formation pathway in adult male mice. Twelve-weeks old mice were exposed to 2.45 GHz MW radiation (continuous-wave with overall average Power density of 0.0248 mW/cm2 and overall average whole body SAR value of 0.0146 W/Kg) @ 2 h/d for 15, 30, and 60 days. Learning and spatial memory was assessed by 8-arm radial maze. We have investigated the alterations in serum corticosterone level and the expression of glucocorticoid receptor, corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), inducible nitric oxide synthase (i-NOS), iGluRs, PSD-95-neuronal NOS (n-NOS) system, protein kinase A, protein kinase Cε-ERK1/2-pERK1/2 in all the hippocampal subregions, viz. CA1, CA2, CA3, and DG through immunohistochemistry/immunofluorescence and alterations in the expression of hippocampal glucocorticoid receptor, CRH-receptor 1 (CRH-R1), cAMP-response element-binding (CREB), and phosphorylated-CREB (p-CREB) through western blot analysis. We observed that 2.45 GHz MW irradiated mice showed slow learning and significantly increased number of working and reference memory errors in radial maze task. Further, 2.45 GHz MW radiation exposure increases serum corticosterone level and the expression of CRH, CRH-R1, and i-NOS, while the expression of iGluRs, n-NOS, PSD-95, protein kinase Cε, protein kinase A, ERK-p-ERK, CREB, and p-CREB decreases in above mentioned hippocampal subregions in a duration dependent manner. Our findings led us to conclude that 2.45 GHz MW radiation exposure induced local stress suppresses signaling mechanism(s) of hippocampal memory formation.

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Deleterious effects of MW radiation on the male reproduction are well studied. Previous reports although suggest that 2.45 GHz MW irradiation induced oxidative and nitrosative stress adversely affects the male reproductive function but the detailed molecular mechanism occurring behind it has yet to be elucidated. The aim of present study was to investigate the underlying detailed pathway of the testicular apoptosis induced by free radical load and redox imbalance due to 2.45 GHz MW radiation exposure and the degree of severity along with the increased exposure duration. Twelve-week old male mice were exposed to 2.45 GHz MW radiation [continuous-wave (CW) with overall average Power density of 0.0248 mW/cm and overall average whole body SAR value of 0.0146 W/kg] for 2 hr/day over a period of 15, 30, and 60 days. Testicular histology, serum testosterone, ROS, NO, MDA level, activity of antioxidant enzymes, expression of pro-apoptotic proteins (p53 and Bax), anti-apoptotic proteins (Bcl-2 and Bcl-x ), cytochrome-c, inactive/active caspase-3, and uncleaved PARP-1 were evaluated. Findings suggest that 2.45 GHz MW radiation exposure induced testicular redox imbalance not only leads to enhanced testicular apoptosis via p53 dependent Bax-caspase-3 mediated pathway, but also increases the degree of apoptotic severity in a duration dependent manner.

Present study was carried out to investigate the effect of long-term mobile phone radiation exposure in different operative modes (Dialing, Receiving, and Stand-by) on immature male mice. Three-week old male mice were exposed to mobile phone (1800 MHz) radiation for 3 hr/day for 120 days in different operative modes. To check the changes/alteration in testicular histoarchitecture and serum testosterone level, HE staining and ELISA was performed respectively. Further, we have checked the redox status (ROS, NO, MDA level, and antioxidant enzymes: SOD, CAT, and GPx) by biochemical estimation, alteration in the expression of pro-apoptotic proteins (p53 and Bax), active executioner caspase-3, full length/uncleaved PARP-1 (DNA repair enzyme), anti-apoptotic proteins (Bcl-2 and Bcl-x ) in testes by immunofluorescence and cytosolic cytochrome-c by Western blot. Decreased seminiferous tubule diameter, sperm count, and viability along with increased germ cells apoptosis and decreased serum testosterone level, was observed in the testes of all the mobile phone exposed mice compared with control. We also observed that, mobile phone radiation exposure in all the three different operative modes alters the testicular redox status via increasing ROS, NO, and MDA level, and decreasing antioxidant enzymes levels leading to enhanced apoptosis of testicular cells by increasing the expression of pro-apoptotic and apoptotic proteins along with decreasing the expression of anti-apoptotic protein. On the basis of results, it is conclude that long-term mobile phone radiation exposure induced oxidative stress leads to apoptosis of testicular cells and thus impairs testicular function.