The effect of 20-week continuous 60 Hz magnetic field exposure on testicular function in Sprague-Dawley rats

2018 · Mixed · Low evidence

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MixedLow evidencePaper 2005

Rats exposed to 60 Hz magnetic fields at 2 or 20 μT for 20 weeks (24 h/day) showed no effects on testicular outcomes reported. Exposure at 200 μT increased apoptotic germ cells (P < 0.001) and decreased sperm numbers (P < 0.05), while not significantly affect…

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2018

Study typeanimal

Reported directionMixed

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

The effect of 20-week continuous 60 Hz magnetic field exposure on testicular function in Sprague-Dawley rats Park S, Kim YJ, Kim MS, Kim HS, Kim MW, Kang YM, Lee SK, Choi KC, Kim N, Gimm YM, Kim YW. The effect of 20- week continuous 60 Hz magnetic field exposure on testicular function in Sprague-Dawley rats. Bioelectromagnetics. 2018 Oct 5. doi: 10.1002/bem.22146. Abstract Accumulating evidence does not yet confirm the effect of power line frequency magnetic field (MF) on human health and fertility. We recently reported that, at continuous 60 Hz MF exposure in mice, the dose given as magnetic flux density (tesla; T) and duration of exposure was related to induce testicular germ cell apoptosis. We aimed to characterize the effect of a 20-week continuous exposure to 60 Hz MF on the motility, morphology, and number of sperm as well as the apoptosis of testicular germ cell in rats. Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed for 20 weeks to 60 Hz MF of 2, 20, or 200 μT for 24 h/day with rats exposed to sham conditions, serving as the control. The exposure to 60 Hz MF of 2 and 20 μT had no effects on testicular in this study. The exposure to 60 Hz MF of 200 μT for 20 weeks induced increases of the apoptotic cells (P < 0.001) in germ cells and decreases of sperm numbers (P < 0.05). However, the MF did not significantly affect the body or testis mass, seminiferous tubule diameter, or the motility or morphology of sperm. This study concluded that exposure to 60 Hz MF of 200 μT can increase testicular germ cell apoptosis, especially spermatogonia, and reduce sperm count. Also compared to previous mice studies, rats are less sensitive than mice to exposure to 60 Hz MF. 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

PopulationSprague-Dawley rats

Sample sizeNot supplied

ExposureELF · 0.06 MHz · 20 weeks, continuous (24 h/day)

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Outcomes measured

sperm motility
sperm morphology
sperm number/count
testicular germ cell apoptosis
body mass
testis mass
seminiferous tubule diameter

Limitations

Sample size not reported in the provided abstract/metadata
Animal study; human relevance not directly established in the provided abstract
Only one frequency (60 Hz) and specific flux densities (2, 20, 200 μT) assessed

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "animal",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "ELF",
    "source": "power line frequency magnetic field",
    "frequency_mhz": 0.06,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "20 weeks, continuous (24 h/day)"
  },
  "population": "Sprague-Dawley rats",
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "sperm motility",
    "sperm morphology",
    "sperm number/count",
    "testicular germ cell apoptosis",
    "body mass",
    "testis mass",
    "seminiferous tubule diameter"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Rats exposed to 60 Hz magnetic fields at 2 or 20 μT for 20 weeks (24 h/day) showed no effects on testicular outcomes reported. Exposure at 200 μT increased apoptotic germ cells (P < 0.001) and decreased sperm numbers (P < 0.05), while not significantly affecting body or testis mass, seminiferous tubule diameter, or sperm motility or morphology.",
  "effect_direction": "mixed",
  "limitations": [
    "Sample size not reported in the provided abstract/metadata",
    "Animal study; human relevance not directly established in the provided abstract",
    "Only one frequency (60 Hz) and specific flux densities (2, 20, 200 μT) assessed"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "60 Hz",
    "ELF magnetic field",
    "power line frequency",
    "magnetic flux density",
    "microtesla",
    "testicular function",
    "spermatogonia",
    "germ cell apoptosis",
    "sperm count",
    "Sprague-Dawley rat"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "occupational-exposure",
      "weight": 0.35,
      "reason": "Study evaluates power-line frequency (60 Hz) magnetic field exposure levels relevant to ELF environments, which can overlap with occupational ELF 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: 10.1002/bem.22146
PubMed: Not supplied

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