Alteration of testicular regulatory and functional molecules following long-time exposure to 900 MHz RFW emitted from BTS

2019 · Harm · Low evidence

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HarmLow evidencePaper 1746

Compared with sham controls, both exposed groups had significantly lower testosterone and significantly higher TNF-α, and both P450scc and StAR mRNA expression were significantly down-regulated. In the long-time exposure group, IL-1α and NGF were significantl…

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2019

Study typeanimal

Reported directionHarm

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Alteration of testicular regulatory and functional molecules following long-time exposure to 900 MHz RFW emitted from BTS Azimzadeh M, Jelodar G. Alteration of testicular regulatory and functional molecules following long-time exposure to 900 MHz RFW emitted from BTS. Andrologia. 2019 Jul 26:e13372. doi: 10.1111/and.13372. Abstract The aim of this investigation was to evaluate changes in testosterone and some of the functional and regulatory molecules of testis such as P450scc, steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR), tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1α (IL-1α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and nerve growth factor (NGF) following exposure to 900 MHz radio frequency (RF). Thirty adult male Sprague Dawley rats (190 ± 20 g BW) were randomly classified in three equal groups, control (sham, without any exposure), short-time exposure (2 hr) (STE) and long-time exposure (4 hr) (LTE). The exposure was performed for 30 consecutive days. The testosterone level in both exposed groups was significantly less than control (p < .05). Level of TNF-α in both exposed groups was significantly greater than control (p < .05). IL-1α and NGF levels in LTE were significantly higher than the STE and control groups (p < .05). Level of IL-1β in LTE was significantly higher than control (p < .05). Expression of both P450scc and StAR mRNA was significantly down-regulated in both exposed groups compared to control (p < .05). Our results showed that RFW can affect testis and reproductive function through changes in factors, which are important during steroidogenesis, and also through changes in inflammatory factors, which regulate Leydig cell functions. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Machine Enhanced Logic

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 directionharm

PopulationAdult male Sprague Dawley rats

Sample size30

ExposureRF · 900 MHz · 2 hr/day (short-time) or 4 hr/day (long-time) for 30 consecutive days

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Outcomes measured

Testosterone level
TNF-α level
IL-1α level
IL-1β level
NGF level
P450scc mRNA expression
StAR mRNA expression

Limitations

Specific exposure metrics (e.g., SAR, power density) not reported in the abstract
Animal study; generalizability to humans not established in the abstract
Short duration (30 days) relative to lifetime reproductive outcomes

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "animal",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF",
    "source": "base station (BTS)",
    "frequency_mhz": 900,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "2 hr/day (short-time) or 4 hr/day (long-time) for 30 consecutive days"
  },
  "population": "Adult male Sprague Dawley rats",
  "sample_size": 30,
  "outcomes": [
    "Testosterone level",
    "TNF-α level",
    "IL-1α level",
    "IL-1β level",
    "NGF level",
    "P450scc mRNA expression",
    "StAR mRNA expression"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Compared with sham controls, both exposed groups had significantly lower testosterone and significantly higher TNF-α, and both P450scc and StAR mRNA expression were significantly down-regulated. In the long-time exposure group, IL-1α and NGF were significantly higher than short-time exposure and control, and IL-1β was significantly higher than control.",
  "effect_direction": "harm",
  "limitations": [
    "Specific exposure metrics (e.g., SAR, power density) not reported in the abstract",
    "Animal study; generalizability to humans not established in the abstract",
    "Short duration (30 days) relative to lifetime reproductive outcomes"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "900 MHz",
    "radiofrequency",
    "RFW",
    "base transceiver station",
    "BTS",
    "testis",
    "testosterone",
    "P450scc",
    "StAR",
    "TNF-α",
    "IL-1α",
    "IL-1β",
    "NGF",
    "Sprague Dawley rat",
    "steroidogenesis",
    "inflammation"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "occupational-exposure",
      "weight": 0.2,
      "reason": "Exposure described as emitted from a BTS (base station), relevant to environmental/near-source RF exposure contexts."
    }
  ]
}

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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: 10.1111/and.13372
PubMed: Not supplied

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