OBJECTIVETo observe the effect of Liuweidihuang Pills in relieving cellphone electromagnetic radiation-induced histomorphological abnormality, oxidative injury, and cell apoptosis in the rat testis.

METHODSThirty adult male SD rats were equally randomized into a normal, a radiated, and a Liuweidihuang group, the animals in the latter two groups exposed to electromagnetic radiation of 900 MHz cellphone frequency 4 hours a day for 18 days. Meanwhile, the rats in the Liuweidihuang group were treated with the suspension of Liuweidihuang Pills at 1 ml/100 g body weight and the other rats intragastrically with the equal volume of purified water. Then all the rats were killed for observation of testicular histomorphology by routine HE staining, measurement of testicular malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione (GSH) levels by colorimetry, and determination of the expressions of bax and bcl-2 proteins in the testis tissue by immunohistochemistry.

RESULTSCompared with the normal controls, the radiated rats showed obviously loose structure, reduced layers of spermatocytes, and cavitation in the seminiferous tubules. Significant increases were observed in the MDA level (P < 0.01) and bax expression (P < 0.01) but decreases in the GSH level (P < 0.01) and bcl-2 expression (P < 0.01) in the testis issue of the radiated rats. In comparison with the radiated rats, those of the Liuweidihuang group exhibited nearly normal testicular structure, significantly lower MDA level (P < 0.05), bax expression (P < 0.01), and bcl-2 expression (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONLiuweidihuang Pills can improve cellphone electromagnetic radiation-induced histomorphological abnormality of the testis tissue and reduce its oxidative damage and cell apoptosis.

Animals ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; radiation effects ; Body Weight ; drug effects ; radiation effects ; Cell Phone ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Electromagnetic Radiation ; Glutathione ; metabolism ; Male ; Malondialdehyde ; metabolism ; Oxidative Stress ; Radiation-Protective Agents ; pharmacology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Seminiferous Tubules ; drug effects ; radiation effects ; Spermatocytes ; drug effects ; metabolism ; radiation effects ; Staining and Labeling ; Testis ; drug effects ; metabolism ; pathology ; radiation effects

This study was performed to investigate the biological effects of boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) on the testes and eyes in mice using HANARO Nuclear Reactor, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute. BNCT relies on the high capacity of (10)B in capturing thermal neutrons. Sodium borocaptate (BSH, 75 ppm, iv) and boronophenylalanine (BPA, 750 ppm, ip) have been used as the boron delivery agents. Mice were irradiated with neutron (flux: 1.036739E +09, Fluence 9.600200E+12) by lying flat pose for 30 (10 Gy) or 100 min (33 Gy) with or without boron carrier treatment. In 45 days of irradiation, histopathological changes of the testes and eyes were examined. Thirty-three Gy neutron irradiation for 100 min induced testicular atrophy in which some of seminiferous tubules showed complete depletion of spermatogenic germ cells. Lens epithelial cells and lens fiber were swollen and showed granular changes in an exposure time dependent manner. However, boron carrier treatment had no significant effect on the lesions. These results suggest that the examination of histopathological changes of lens and testis can be used as "biological dosimeters" for gauging radiation responses and the HANARO Nuclear Reactor has sufficient capacities for the BNCT.
Animals ; Boranes/*pharmacology ; Borohydrides/*pharmacology ; Boron Neutron Capture Therapy/*methods ; Eye/pathology/*radiation effects ; Histocytochemistry ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Neutrons ; Phenylalanine/*analogs&derivatives/pharmacology ; Seminiferous Tubules/pathology/*radiation effects ; Specific Pathogen-Free Organisms ; Sulfhydryl Compounds/*pharmacology