Research progress on effects of radio frequency radiation and its physical parameters on male reproductive system / 环境与职业医学

With the widespread use of mobile phones, laptops, and WIFI, the effects of radio frequency radiation (RFR) on human health are of increasing concern, and there are particular concerns about its reproductive toxicity. Studies have shown that the reproductive system is a sensitive target for RFR. In males, RFR is associated with decreased sperm quality and serum testosterone levels, but there are few studies on the biological effects of RFR by altering physical parameters on the male reproductive system. This paper introduced common sources of RFR, reviewed the toxic effects and mechanisms of RFR targeting male reproductive system from the aspects of spermatogenic cells, sperm structure, blood-testicular barrier, and testicular function, and analyzed male reproductive system related toxic effects of RFR by varying physical parameters including frequency, treatment duration, and specific absorption rate, so as to provide a theoretical basis and scientific basis for the safe and reasonable use of radio frequency electromagnetic field by humans and subsequent in-depth research.

Antagonistic effect of vitamin E on di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate-induced reproductive toxicity in male rats / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>Objective</b>To explore the antagonistic effect of vitamin E (VE) on male reproductive toxicity induced by di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) in pubertal SD rats and its underlying mechanisms.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Thirty 5-week-old male SD rats were randomly divided into five groups of equal number, corn oil control, low-dose (10 mg/kg/d), medium-dose (100 mg/kg/d) and high-dose DEHP exposure (500 mg/kg/d), and VE intervention (high-dose DEHP + VE ［100 mg/kg/d］), and treated respectively for 30 successive days. At 3 days after treatment, the testes of the animals were harvested for determination of the oxidative stress index, serum reproductive hormone levels, cauda epididymal sperm parameters, and expressions of cell apoptosis-related genes and proteins.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with the control group, the rats of the medium- and high-dose DEHP groups showed significant decreases in the levels of such serum reproductive hormones as follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH) and testosterone (T), sperm parameters as average path velocity (VAP), straight line velocity (VSL), curvilinear velocity (VCL), straightness (STR), linearity (LIN) and wobble (WOB), and the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxide (GSH-Px), but significant increases were observed in the latter two groups in the content of malondialdehyde (MDA)(［3.32±0.87］ nmol/mg pro vs ［2.13±0.49］ nmol/ mg pro), mRNA expressions of Bad, Bax, Cytochrome C, Caspase-3 and the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, and protein expressions of Cytochrome C and Caspase-3. In comparison with the high-dose DEHP group, the VE intervention group exhibited remarkably increased serum LH and T levels, sperm VAP, VSL, VCL, STR and WOB, and activities of SOD and GSH-Px, but markedly decreased mRNA expressions of Bad, Bax, Cytochrome C, Caspase-3 and the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio as well as the protein expressions of Cytochrome C and Caspase-3 in the testis tissue (P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Exposure to DEHP induces androgen secretion disorders, causes oxidative damage to the testicular tissue, activates the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway in the testis, and ultimately reduces the quality of epididymal sperm, while VE can protect the rat testis from DEHP-induced reproductive toxicity.</p>

Reproductive effects of the psychoactive beverage ayahuasca in male Wistar rats after chronic exposure

Abstract Ayahuasca is a psychoactive beverage used ancestrally by indigenous Amazonian tribes and, more recently, by Christian religions in Brazil and other countries. This study aimed to investigate the reproductive effects of this beverage in male Wistar rats after chronic exposure. The rats were treated by gavage every other day for 70 days at 0 (control), 1×, 2×, 4× and 8× the dose used in a religious ritual (12 animals per group), and animals euthanized on the 71st day. Compared to controls, there was a significant decrease in food consumption and body weight gain in rats from the 4× and 8× groups, and a significant increase in the brain and stomach relative weight at the 8× group. There was a significant increase in total serum testosterone, and a decrease in spermatic transit time and spermatic reserves in the epididymis caudae in the 4× group, but not in the highest dose group. No significant changes were found in the other reproductive endpoints (spermatozoid motility and morphology, total spermatozoid count and daily sperm production), and histology of testis and epididymis. This study identified a no-observed-adverse-effect-level for chronic and reproductive effects of ayahuasca in male Wistar rats at 2× the ritualistic dose, which corresponds in this study to 0.62 mg/kg bw N, N-dimethyltryptamine, 6.6 mg/kg bw harmine and 0.52 mg/kg bw harmaline. A potential toxic effect of ayahuasca in male rats was observed at the 4× dose, with a non-monotonic dose-response. Studies investigating the role of ayahuasca components in regulating testosterone levels are needed to better understand this action.