The therapeutic effect of a pulsed electromagnetic field on the reproductive patterns of male Wistar rats exposed to a 2.45-GHz microwave field

Abstract

INTRODUCTION:Environmental exposure to man-made electromagnetic fields has been steadily increasing with the growing demand for electronic items that are operational at various frequencies. Testicular function is particularly susceptible to radiation emitted by electromagnetic fields.OBJECTIVES:This study aimed to examine the therapeutic effects of a pulsed electromagnetic field (100 Hz) on the reproductive systems of male Wistar rats (70 days old).METHODS:The experiments were divided into five groups: microwave sham, microwave exposure (2.45 GHz), pulsed electromagnetic field sham, pulsed electromagnetic field (100 Hz) exposure, and microwave/pulsed electromagnetic field exposure. The animals were exposed for 2 hours/day for 60 days. After exposure, the animals were sacrificed, their sperm was used for creatine and caspase assays, and their serum was used for melatonin and testosterone assays.RESULTS:The results showed significant increases in caspase and creatine kinase and significant decreases in testosterone and melatonin in the exposed groups. This finding emphasizes that reactive oxygen species (a potential inducer of cancer) are the primary cause of DNA damage. However, pulsed electromagnetic field exposure relieves the effect of microwave exposure by inducing Faraday currents.CONCLUSIONS:Electromagnetic fields are recognized as hazards that affect testicular function by generating reactive oxygen species and reduce the bioavailability of androgen to maturing spermatozoa. Thus, microwave exposure adversely affects male fertility, whereas pulsed electromagnetic field therapy is a non-invasive, simple technique that can be used as a scavenger agent to combat oxidative stress.

Impact of L-Carnitine and Selenium Treatment on Testicular Apoptosis in Rats Exposed to 2.45 GHz Microwave Energy

“…When sham and EMR-only groups were compared, there was a significant difference for caspase-3 and -8. Kumar et al investigated the therapeutic effect of a pulsed electromagnetic radiation on the reproductive patterns of male Wistar rats exposed to a 2.45-GHz microwave field and the results showed significant increases in caspase in the exposed groups (38). All results indicated that apoptosis in testicular tissue in the EMR-only group might be due to the intrinsic pathway since there was no significant difference for TNF-α.…”

“…The electromagnetic fields caused by several sources, such as wireless network, microwave ovens and mobile phones, have been shown to influence the biological systems (1)(2)(3). Many sources of nonionizing radiation may affect people silently and continuously on a daily basis.…”

“…Apoptosis can be described as a cell death process that is characterized by blebbing, the loss of the cell membrane, asymmetry, cell detachment, cell shrinkage, nuclear fragmentation, chromatin condensation and chromosomal DNA fragmentations (3,10). During spermatogenesis, apoptosis plays a significant role in regulating the appropriate number of proliferating germ cells associated with the surrounding Sertoli cells.…”

Effects of long-term exposure to radiofrequency radiations emitted by mobile Jammers on reproduction parameters in rats

“…And to 10 Hz and 1 mT EMF showed a decrease in the tubular diameter, seminiferous tubules area, seminiferous epithelium height, total volume of seminiferous tubule, tubular lumen, seminiferous epithelium in Wistar rats [14]. Being exposed to 10 GHz microwave radiation for 2 h per day for 45 d revealed shrinkage in the seminiferous lumen [4]. Exposure to 900-MHz EMF between 13-21 d after pregnancy, showed a decreased diameter in seminiferous tubules and thickness of epithelium in the newborn rats [15].…”

“…Some studies have suggested that exposure to EMF such as mobile phones or wireless internetconnected laptops can have an adverse effect on reproduction and fertilizing potential of spermatozoa [3][4][5][6][7].…”