著者

上口 勇次郎 立野 裕幸 渡邉 誠二 外村 泰子

出版者

東京女子大学

雑誌

Science reports of Tokyo Woman's Christian University (ISSN:03864006)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.45, no.3, pp.1297-1303, 1995-03-08

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This study was undertaken to examine the cytogenetic effects of microwaves on human spermatozoa, using an interspecific in vitro fertilization system between human spermatozoa and zona-free hamster oocytes. Ejaculated human spermatozoa were exposed in vitro to microwaves from a household electronic range (2.45GHz, 500W) for 5 (Group I) and 10 seconds (Group II). The average temperatures of the sperm suspensions were 29℃ in the non-irradiated control, 38℃ in Group I, and 54℃ in Group II immediately after the microwave irradiation. After irradiation, about 10% of the spermatozoa became immotile in Group I, as did about 50% of the spermatozoa in Group II, due to the heat stress. A total number of 474 spermatozoa were karyotyped in the control: 386 spermatozoa, in Group I, and 506 spermatozoa, in Group II. The incidences of spermatozoa with structural chromosome aberrations were 11.3±1.4%, 11.5±1.6% and 10.3±2.0% in the control and Groups I and II respectively, showing no statistically significant difference between the three groups. The numbers of aberrations per spermatozoon were 0.140±0.023, 0.127±0.027, and 0.123±0.028 respectively in the three groups, also showing no significant difference between them. These results indicate that neither microwave irradiation nor heat stress has a clastogenic effect on human sperm chromosomes.