[Exposure of the scrotum to 4G cellphone radiofrequency radiation affects spermatogenesis and blood-testis barrier of adult male rats]

PAPER manual Zhonghua nan ke xue = National journal of andrology 2021 Animal study Effect: harm Evidence: Low

Read original paper → PMID: 34914238 Evidence Lab

Abstract

[Exposure of the scrotum to 4G cellphone radiofrequency radiation affects spermatogenesis and blood-testis barrier of adult male rats] Qing Cheng, Gang Yu, Gang Wang, Zhi-Ming Bai. [Exposure of the scrotum to 4G cellphone radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation affects the spermatogenesis and blood-testis barrier of adult male rats] [Article in Chinese]. Zhonghua Nan Ke Xue. 2021 Aug;27(8):680-684. Abstract Objective: To investigate the direct impact of exposure of the scrotum to 4G cellphone radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation (RF-EMR) on the testis of adult rats. Methods: We equally randomized 30 adult male SD rats into a control and an exposure group, the latter exposed to 4G cellphone RF-EMR 6 hours a day for 150 days. Then, we analyzed the changes in semen quality and seminiferous epithelia, and measured the levels antioxidant enzyme-peroxide and the expressions of blood- testis barrier proteins in the testis of the rats. Results: Compared with the controls, the rats in the exposure group showed significantly decreased sperm concentration (［6.39 ± 0.82］ vs ［4.74 ± 0.87］ ×107/ml, P < 0.05), viability (62.11 ± 8.82］% vs ［41.44 ± 7.33］%, P < 0.05), motility (［55.71 ± 7.39］ vs ［36.22 ± 6.36］%, P < 0.05), the percentage of morphologically normal sperm (［84.89 ± 5.11］% vs ［70.78 ± 8.11］%, P < 0.05) and Johnsen's score (8.38 ± 0.98 vs 6.11 ± 1.56, P < 0.05), increased Coentino's score (1.36 ± 0.21 vs 1.81 ± 0.34, P < 0.05) and MDA level (P < 0.05), reduced levels of SOD, GSH and CAT (P < 0.05), and down-regulated expressions of occludin, ZO-1, CAR and N-Cadherin (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Exposure of the scrotum to 4G cellphone RF-EMR directly causes injury of the testis, disorder of the blood-testis barrier, reduction of semen quality and consequently decline in the fertility of male rats. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

AI evidence extraction

At a glance

Study type

Animal study

Effect direction

harm

Population

Adult male SD rats

Sample size

Exposure

RF mobile phone · 6 hours/day for 150 days

Evidence strength

Low

Confidence: 78% · Peer-reviewed: yes

Main findings

Compared with controls, rats exposed to 4G cellphone RF-EMR to the scrotum had lower sperm concentration, viability, motility, and morphologically normal sperm percentage, and lower Johnsen's score, with higher Coentino's score. Exposure was associated with increased MDA, reduced SOD/GSH/CAT, and down-regulated occludin, ZO-1, CAR, and N-Cadherin expression in testis.

Outcomes measured

Sperm concentration
Sperm viability
Sperm motility
Percentage of morphologically normal sperm
Johnsen's score (seminiferous epithelium)
Coentino's score
MDA level
SOD level
GSH level
CAT level
Testicular expression of blood-testis barrier proteins (occludin, ZO-1, CAR, N-Cadherin)

Limitations

Frequency and SAR/dosimetry not reported in the abstract
Animal model; generalizability to humans is uncertain
Blinding and detailed randomization procedures not described in the abstract

Suggested hubs

mobile-phones (0.9)
Exposure described as 4G cellphone RF-EMR.
male-fertility (0.85)
Outcomes include semen quality and spermatogenesis-related measures.

View raw extracted JSON

{
    "study_type": "animal",
    "exposure": {
        "band": "RF",
        "source": "mobile phone",
        "frequency_mhz": null,
        "sar_wkg": null,
        "duration": "6 hours/day for 150 days"
    },
    "population": "Adult male SD rats",
    "sample_size": 30,
    "outcomes": [
        "Sperm concentration",
        "Sperm viability",
        "Sperm motility",
        "Percentage of morphologically normal sperm",
        "Johnsen's score (seminiferous epithelium)",
        "Coentino's score",
        "MDA level",
        "SOD level",
        "GSH level",
        "CAT level",
        "Testicular expression of blood-testis barrier proteins (occludin, ZO-1, CAR, N-Cadherin)"
    ],
    "main_findings": "Compared with controls, rats exposed to 4G cellphone RF-EMR to the scrotum had lower sperm concentration, viability, motility, and morphologically normal sperm percentage, and lower Johnsen's score, with higher Coentino's score. Exposure was associated with increased MDA, reduced SOD/GSH/CAT, and down-regulated occludin, ZO-1, CAR, and N-Cadherin expression in testis.",
    "effect_direction": "harm",
    "limitations": [
        "Frequency and SAR/dosimetry not reported in the abstract",
        "Animal model; generalizability to humans is uncertain",
        "Blinding and detailed randomization procedures not described in the abstract"
    ],
    "evidence_strength": "low",
    "confidence": 0.7800000000000000266453525910037569701671600341796875,
    "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
    "keywords": [
        "4G",
        "cellphone",
        "RF-EMR",
        "radiofrequency radiation",
        "scrotum exposure",
        "testis",
        "spermatogenesis",
        "semen quality",
        "blood-testis barrier",
        "oxidative stress",
        "rats"
    ],
    "suggested_hubs": [
        {
            "slug": "mobile-phones",
            "weight": 0.90000000000000002220446049250313080847263336181640625,
            "reason": "Exposure described as 4G cellphone RF-EMR."
        },
        {
            "slug": "male-fertility",
            "weight": 0.84999999999999997779553950749686919152736663818359375,
            "reason": "Outcomes include semen quality and spermatogenesis-related measures."
        }
    ]
}

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AI-extracted fields are generated from the abstract/metadata and may be incomplete or incorrect. This content is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice.

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