Impacts of electromagnetic radiation from cellphones and Wi-Fi on spermatogenesis / 中华男科学杂志

With the development of Wi-Fi technology and widespread exposure to electromagnetic radiation (EMR), people are increasingly concerned about the health hazards caused by radiofrequency electromagnetic fields as from cellphones and Wi-Fi, particularly about the current decline in sperm concentration and increase in male infertility. Long-term exposure to EMR not only damages male reproductive organs, but also affects the number, morphology, motility and oocyte-binding ability of sperm, and indirectly increases the risk of infertility. However, EMR is not unavoidable. Low-intensity short-term or intermittent exposure to EMR has little adverse effect on reproductive organs and sperm. And many antioxidant and anti-free radical agents, such as vitamin E and melatonin, can protect some special populations from EMR. This review presents an overview of the impacts of EMR from cellphones and Wi-Fi on sperm, some countermeasures, and prospects of EMR protection.

Exposure to 835 MHz RF-EMF decreases the expression of calcium channels, inhibits apoptosis, but induces autophagy in the mouse hippocampus

The exponential increase in the use of mobile communication has triggered public concerns about the potential adverse effects of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) emitted by mobile phones on the central nervous system (CNS). In this study, we explored the relationship between calcium channels and apoptosis or autophagy in the hippocampus of C57BL/6 mice after RF-EMF exposure with a specific absorption rate (SAR) of 4.0 W/kg for 4 weeks. Firstly, the expression level of voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCCs), a key regulator of the entry of calcium ions into the cell, was confirmed by immunoblots. We investigated and confirmed that pan-calcium channel expression in hippocampal neurons were significantly decreased after exposure to RF-EMF. With the observed accumulation of autolysosomes in hippocampal neurons via TEM, the expressions of autophagy-related genes and proteins (e.g., LC3B-II) had significantly increased. However, down-regulation of the apoptotic pathway may contribute to the decrease in calcium channel expression, and thus lower levels of calcium in hippocampal neurons. These results suggested that exposure of RF-EMF could alter intracellular calcium homeostasis by decreasing calcium channel expression in the hippocampus; presumably by activating the autophagy pathway, while inhibiting apoptotic regulation as an adaptation process for 835 MHz RF-EMF exposure.