Effects of Cellphone Radiation on Sperm Quality and the Expression of StAR in the Testis of C57BL/6 Mice

Background: It has been reported that cellphone radiation (CR) is related to higher risk of many health problems, but whether CR can impair the expression of rate-limiting enzymes of testosterone synthesis has seldom been studied. Objective: To evaluate the effects of CR on the expression of steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR) in the testes tissue and the sperm quality of adult male mice. Methods: Forty 3-month-old male mice, 22 - 26 g, were randomly assigned into four equal groups (n = 10 per group): the control group and three CR exposure groups including 8-hour group, 16-hour group and 24-hour group. Each mouse received different dosages of CR exposure for seven consecutive weeks. Semen in the epididymis, intratesticular testosterone (ITT) concentrations, and the expression of StAR were measured at the end of experiment. Results: The sperm number and motility, and the ITT concentrations in 24-h group were significant lower than those in the control group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01, and P < 0.05 respectively). No obvious changes were seen in 8-hour group and 16-hour group compared with the control (both P > 0.05). Similarly, only the expression of StAR in the 24-h group was significantly decreased after the exposure of CR (P < 0.05). Both the 8-h group and the 16-h group did not change much in the expression of StAR compared with the control group (P > 0.05). Conclusions: High dose exposure of CR can reduce the expression of StAR and ITT concentration, and then suppress the serum quality.