Abstract:

This study evaluates the ‘effect of 50 Hz magnetic field’ on the testicular gross morphology and histology, sperm morphology and meiotic chromosomes of adult Albino rats. The rats were divided into three groups; Control and two exposed groups to 0.15 mT and 20 mT. Thirty seven rats were included in each group. The exposure time lasted for 2 weeks, 3 days/week and 1/2 hour/day. After exposure, the rats were sacrificed by cervical dislocation and handled for evaluation. One of the testes was examined for gross morphological and histopathological changes. The other one was handled for evaluation of meiotic chromosomal abnormalities in the spermatocytes. The sperms were extracted from the epididymis and vas deferens for morphological investigation.

There were no observed gross morphological changes. The histopathological evaluation revealed a picture of maturation arrest at the level of the round spermatids with slight degenerative changes. These changes were more marked at the third group. The morphometric study showed reduction in the cellular surface area of the seminiferous tubules and an increase in the thickness of the basal lamina of seminiferous tubules, the ‘number of the Leydig cells in the interstitial space’ and the surface area of blood vessels. There was no effect on either the seminiferous tubular diameter, nucleo-cytoplasmic ratio of Leydig cells or the Sertoli cell number. The sperm morphological evaluation showed increase in the number of abnormal forms due to exposure. The chromosomal investigation showed also an increase in the chromosomal abnormalities after exposure.