Changes in testicular morphology and oxidative stress biomarkers in 60-day-old Sprague Dawley rats following exposure to continuous 900-MHz electromagnetic field for 1 h a day throughout adolescence

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the 60-day-old male rat testis following exposure to continuous 900-megahertz (MHz) electromagnetic field (EMF) throughout the adolescent period using histopathological and biochemical analysis methods. Twenty-four Sprague Dawley rats aged 21 days were randomly and equally (n = 8) divided into three groups. No procedure was performed on the control group rats. The sham group rats were held in an EMF-cage without exposure to EMF. The EMF group rats were exposed to continuous 900-MHz EMF for 1 h each day inside the EMF-cage during adolescence. On postnatal day 60 the testes were extracted and divided into right and left halves. The right half was used for histopathological evaluation and the left half for biochemical analyses. Our results show that changes may occur in morphology and oxidative stress biomarkers in the rat testis following exposure to continuous 900-MHz EMF throughout the adolescent period.

Keywords: Adolescence; Cell phone; Electromagnetic field; Sprague Dawley rat; Testis.