Radiations and male fertility

Abstract

During recent years, an increasing percentage of male infertility has to be attributed to an array of environmental, health and lifestyle factors. Male infertility is likely to be affected by the intense exposure to heat and extreme exposure to pesticides, radiations, radioactivity and other hazardous substances. We are surrounded by several types of ionizing and non-ionizing radiations and both have recognized causative effects on spermatogenesis. Since it is impossible to cover all types of radiation sources and their biological effects under a single title, this review is focusing on radiation deriving from cell phones, laptops, Wi-Fi and microwave ovens, as these are the most common sources of non-ionizing radiations, which may contribute to the cause of infertility by exploring the effect of exposure to radiofrequency radiations on the male fertility pattern. From currently available studies it is clear that radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) have deleterious effects on sperm parameters (like sperm count, morphology, motility), affects the role of kinases in cellular metabolism and the endocrine system, and produces genotoxicity, genomic instability and oxidative stress. This is followed with protective measures for these radiations and future recommendations. The study concludes that the RF-EMF may induce oxidative stress with an increased level of reactive oxygen species, which may lead to infertility. This has been concluded based on available evidences from in vitro and in vivo studies suggesting that RF-EMF exposure negatively affects sperm quality.

Single-strand DNA breaks and oxidative changes in rat testes exposed to radiofrequency radiation emitted from cellular phones

“…Thus, it has been suggested that testicles are more sensitive to RFR. Kesari et al [34] reported that RF-EMF might cause oxidative stress with an increased level of reactive oxygen species, which may provoke infertility. Another study reported that electromagnetic radiation emitted from Wi-Fi (2450 MHz) and cellular phones (900 and 1800 MHz) causes an increase in lipid peroxidation and a decrease in the levels of antioxidant trace elements (copper and zinc) along with TAS and glutathione (GSH) in the kidneys and testicles of rats in their development periods, and thus leads to oxidative stress [29].…”

Effects of Qilin pills on spermatogenesis, reproductive hormones, oxidative stress, and the TSSK2 gene in a rat model of oligoasthenospermia

“…Human fertility has declined markedly due to various factors, such as ecological environmental pollution, an increase in work-related stress, unhealthy living habits, and sexually transmitted diseases [1][2][3][4]. The prevalence of infertility ranges from 10 to 15% among couples.…”

“…Many factors, such as urogenital infections, endocrine disorders, immunological factors and drug-related damage, affect the male reproductive system and lead to infertility [1,2]. The specific mechanisms underlying the effects of these factors on male infertility may include spermatogenesis, hormone regulation, oxidative stress, and the regulation of spermatogenesis-related genes [16,17].…”

Effect of low-frequency electric field screening on motility of human sperm

“…The influence of EMFs on human tissues depends on the value of the specific absorption rate (SAR) which relies on the duration of exposure to radiation, its intensity, polarization and frequency [32,33]. A higher SAR may be associated with keeping the device in a trouser pocket, using a laptop connected to Wi-Fi, and keeping the phone close to the head while talking.…”

“…Semen quality, which is considered one of the key factors influencing reproductive success, may decrease after exposure to various common sources of EMF (laptop computers, mobile phones, and many wireless Internet-connected devices) [24,35,36]. It is suggested that sperm parameters such as motility, morphology, viability, sperm count and concentration, can be adversely affected and decreased by the use of mobile phones [32,33,35,37,38]. Several studies suggest that the rapid progressive motility of spermatozoa may be decreased by carrying mobile phones in the trouser pocket [39,40].…”