The effect of 2.45 GHz non-ionizing radiation on the structure and ultrastructure of the testis in juvenile rats.

BACKGROUND: Nowadays, mobile devices that emit non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation (EMR) are predominantly used by juveniles and pubescents. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of whole body pulsed EMR on the juvenile Wistar albino rat testis at a frequency of 2.45 GHz and mean power density of 2.8 mW/cm². METHODS: The investigated animals (n=24) were divided into two control and two EMR groups (5 and 6 week old rats; 6 rats per group). Both EMR groups were irradiated continually for 3 weeks (2h/day) from postnatal days 14 and 21, respectively. RESULTS: EMR caused an irregular shape of seminiferous tubules with desquamated immature germ cells in the lumen, a large number of empty spaces along the seminiferous epithelium and dilated and congested blood vessels in the interstitial tissue of the testis. The cytoplasm of Sertoli cells showed strong vacuolization and damaged organelles, with the cytoplasm full of different heterophagic and lipid vacuoles or the cytoplasm of spermatocytes with swollen mitochondria in both irradiated groups. A significant increase in the total tubular area of seminiferous tubules was observed in both EMR groups compared with controls (P<0.001). A significant increase in the TUNEL-positive apoptotic nuclei (P<0.01) was accompanied by a significant rise in both Cu-Zn-SOD (P<0.01) and Mn-SOD (P<0.001) positive cells in the 6 week old experimental rats compared to control animals. CONCLUSION: Our results confirmed a harmful effect of non-ionizing radiation on the structure and ultrastructure of the juvenile rat testis.

Effects of low and high deprenyl dose on antioxidant enzyme activities in the adult rat brain.

We evaluated the effects of low dose deprenyl (LDD, 0.0025 mg/kg per day) and high dose deprenyl (HDD, 0.25 mg/kg per day) treatment of male Wistar rats for 30 days on the activities of SOD and CAT in the cortex, striatum, and hippocampus. Total SOD and MnSOD activities were increased with LDD (p <0.05) in the cortex (0.74 ± 0.03; 0.31 ± 0.02), striatum (0.75 ± 0.02; 0.27 ± 0.03) and CA1 region of the hippocampus (0.75 ± 0.02; 0.29 ± 0.03) compared to the control (0.53 ± 0.02; 0.15 ± 0.02), but reduced (p <0.05) with HDD compared to the LDD group. CAT activity was increased (p <0.05) with LDD in the cortex (27.34 ± 3.11), striatum (22.22 ± 1.85), and hippocampal CA1 region (16.62 ± 2.15) compared to control (10.33 ± 1.01), while a decrease was induced by HDD in the striatum (9.85 ± 1.09) compared to LDD. There was a significant (p <0.05) difference in number of Fluoro Jade B positive CA1 neurons induced by LDD (21.14 ± 2.85%) and HDD (12.61 ± 1.42%), as well as the number of NeuN positive CA1 neurons after LDD (183.35 ± 11.14 cells/mm) and HDD (238.45 ± 14.11 cells/mm (p < 0.05). Deprenyl showed a potential in improving the neurological outcome and reducing the oxidative damage.

The effect of R-(-)-deprenyl administration on antioxidant enzymes in rat testis.

The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of R-(-)-deprenyl administration on the activity and localization of superoxide dismutases (SODs) and catalase (CAT) in rat testis. After 30 days of intraperitoneal administration of either saline (control) or R-(-)-deprenyl dissolved in saline at concentrations of 0.0025mg/kg (low dose of deprenyl, LDD) or 0.25mg/kg (high dose of deprenyl, HDD), males were killed by thiopental, and their testes were collected. We found that deprenyl administration significantly increased the activity of antioxidant enzymes, and this effect varied by dosage. LDD caused significant elevation of all monitored enzymes, but HDD did not increase the activity of SOD2. Employing immunohistochemistry, we detected enzymes predominantly in Leydig cells (SOD1, SOD2, CAT), in late spermatids and residual bodies (SOD1, SOD2), and in primary spermatocytes (SOD2). Histopathological examination did not reveal testicular damage in experimental groups compared to control. Deprenyl proved to be a potent stimulator of antioxidant enzymes in rat testes; therefore, it could be used in the therapy of male infertility. On the other hand, it is crucial to choose a proper dose, since lower dose was more competent compared to a dosage that was one hundred times higher.

The effect of R-(-)-deprenyl administration on reproductive parameters of rat males.

The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of R-(-)-deprenyl administration on the reproductive parameters of rat males. After 30 days of intraperitoneal administration of saline or 0.0025mg/kg (10(-5)mol/l) of R-(-)-deprenyl dissolved in saline, males were mated with females of the same strain. Subsequently, animals were killed by thiopental, and their blood and sperm were collected. We found that epididymis of males exposed to R-(-)-deprenyl had higher sperm count (P<0.05), and females who mated with these males gave birth to a greater number of offspring (P<0.05) compared to control. The blood of experimental animals contained higher levels of testosterone (P<0.05), FSH (P<0.01), and total antioxidants (P<0.01). We did not detect sperm DNA fragmentation in control or in experimental males. Interestingly, round spermatids were often observed inside seminiferous tubules of experimental animals, but obviously without any negative consequences on male fertility. Our findings could be verified on a sample of human male volunteers treated for infertility, because human organism tolerate higher doses of R-(-)-deprenyl, which is a selective inhibitor of monoamine oxidase B employed in our experiment and used in the therapy of Parkinson׳s disease, rather well.