RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of cellular phone emissions on rat sperm cells. DESIGN: Classic experimental. SETTING: Animal research laboratory. SUBJECTS: Sixteen 3-month-old male Sprague-Dawley rats, weighing 250-300 g. INTERVENTION(S): Rats in the experimental group were exposed to two 3-hour periods of daily cellular phone emissions for 18 weeks; sperm samples were then collected for evaluation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Evaluation of sperm motility, sperm cell morphology, total sperm cell number, and mRNA levels for two cell surface adhesion proteins. RESULT(S): Rats exposed to 6 hours of daily cellular phone emissions for 18 weeks exhibited a significantly higher incidence of sperm cell death than control group rats through chi-squared analysis. In addition, abnormal clumping of sperm cells was present in rats exposed to cellular phone emissions and was not present in control group rats. CONCLUSION(S): These results suggest that carrying cell phones near reproductive organs could negatively affect male fertility.
