Long-Term Wi-Fi Exposure From Pre-Pubertal to Adult Age on the Spermatogonia Proliferation and Protective Effects of Edible Bird's Nest Supplementation

2022 · Mixed · Low evidence

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MixedLow evidencePaper 876

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2022

Study typeanimal

Reported directionMixed

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Long-Term Wi-Fi Exposure From Pre-Pubertal to Adult Age on the Spermatogonia Proliferation and Protective Effects of Edible Bird's Nest Supplementation Farah Hanan Fathihah Jaffar, Khairul Osman, Chua Kien Hui, Aini Farzana Zulkefli, Siti Fatimah Ibrahim. Long- Term Wi-Fi Exposure From Pre-Pubertal to Adult Age on the Spermatogonia Proliferation and Protective Effects of Edible Bird's Nest Supplementation. Front Physiol. 2022 Mar 11;13:828578. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2022.828578. Abstract Children are vulnerable to the radiofrequency radiation (RFR) emitted by Wi-Fi devices. Nevertheless, the severity of the Wi-Fi effect on their reproductive development has been sparsely available. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the Wi-Fi exposure on spermatogonia proliferation in the testis. This study also incorporated an approach to attenuate the effect of Wi-Fi by giving concurrent edible bird's nest (EBN) supplementation. It was predicted that Wi-Fi exposure reduces spermatogonia proliferation while EBN supplementation protects against it. A total of 30 (N = 30) 3-week-old Sprague Dawley weanlings were divided equally into five groups; Control, Control EBN, Wi-Fi, Sham Wi-Fi, and Wi-Fi + EBN. 2.45 GHz Wi-Fi exposure and 250 mg/kg EBN supplementation were conducted for 14 weeks. Findings showed that the Wi-Fi group had decreased in spermatogonia mitosis status. However, the mRNA and protein expression of c-Kit-SCF showed no significant decrease. Instead, the reproductive hormone showed a reduction in FSH and LH serum levels. Of these, LH serum level was decreased significantly in the Wi-Fi group. Otherwise, supplementing the Wi-Fi + EBN group with 250 mg/kg EBN resulted in a significant increase in spermatogonia mitotic status. Even though EBN supplementation improved c-Kit-SCF mRNA and protein expression, the effects were insignificant. The improvement of spermatogonia mitosis appeared to be associated with a significant increase in blood FSH levels following EBN supplementation. In conclusion, the long-term Wi-Fi exposure from pre-pubertal to adult age reduces spermatogonia proliferation in the testis. On the other hand, EBN supplementation protects spermatogonia proliferation against Wi-Fi exposure. Open access paper: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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AI evidence extraction

Structured fields below were generated from the paper’s abstract and metadata to make the evidence easier to inspect. Automated extraction may be incomplete or incorrect; verify important details against the original paper.

Study typeanimal

Effect directionmixed

Population3-week-old Sprague Dawley weanlings (rats) exposed from pre-pubertal to adult age

Sample size30

ExposureRF · 2450 MHz · 14 weeks

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

In rats, 2.45 GHz Wi-Fi exposure for 14 weeks was associated with decreased spermatogonia mitotic status and reduced serum FSH and LH levels (LH significantly decreased). c-Kit-SCF mRNA and protein expression showed no significant decrease. Concurrent edible bird's nest (250 mg/kg) supplementation in the Wi-Fi + EBN group significantly increased spermatogonia mitotic status and significantly increased blood FSH levels; changes in c-Kit-SCF mRNA/protein with EBN were reported as insignificant.

Outcomes measured

Spermatogonia proliferation/mitotic status
c-Kit-SCF mRNA expression
c-Kit-SCF protein expression
Serum reproductive hormones (FSH, LH)

Limitations

No SAR or exposure intensity metrics reported in the abstract
Animal study; generalizability to humans not established in the abstract
Some mechanistic markers (c-Kit-SCF mRNA/protein) showed no significant changes despite reported spermatogonia effects

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "animal",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF",
    "source": "wi-fi",
    "frequency_mhz": 2450,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "14 weeks"
  },
  "population": "3-week-old Sprague Dawley weanlings (rats) exposed from pre-pubertal to adult age",
  "sample_size": 30,
  "outcomes": [
    "Spermatogonia proliferation/mitotic status",
    "c-Kit-SCF mRNA expression",
    "c-Kit-SCF protein expression",
    "Serum reproductive hormones (FSH, LH)"
  ],
  "main_findings": "In rats, 2.45 GHz Wi-Fi exposure for 14 weeks was associated with decreased spermatogonia mitotic status and reduced serum FSH and LH levels (LH significantly decreased). c-Kit-SCF mRNA and protein expression showed no significant decrease. Concurrent edible bird's nest (250 mg/kg) supplementation in the Wi-Fi + EBN group significantly increased spermatogonia mitotic status and significantly increased blood FSH levels; changes in c-Kit-SCF mRNA/protein with EBN were reported as insignificant.",
  "effect_direction": "mixed",
  "limitations": [
    "No SAR or exposure intensity metrics reported in the abstract",
    "Animal study; generalizability to humans not established in the abstract",
    "Some mechanistic markers (c-Kit-SCF mRNA/protein) showed no significant changes despite reported spermatogonia effects"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "Wi-Fi",
    "radiofrequency radiation",
    "2.45 GHz",
    "Sprague Dawley",
    "spermatogonia",
    "testis",
    "FSH",
    "LH",
    "c-Kit",
    "SCF",
    "edible bird's nest",
    "supplementation"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "school-wi-fi",
      "weight": 0.6,
      "reason": "Study evaluates biological effects of Wi-Fi (2.45 GHz) exposure relevant to Wi-Fi environments, though conducted in rats."
    }
  ]
}

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AI-extracted fields are generated from the abstract and metadata and may be incomplete or incorrect. This material is for informational purposes and is not medical advice.

Identifiers and source

DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2022.828578
PubMed: Not supplied

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