Lifestyle and testicular dysfunction

  In recent years, there has been a gradual increase in a range of testicular disorders such as testicular cancer, cryptorchidism, and spermatogenic disorders. Although genetic factors play a role, there is growing evidence that testicular damage comes from environmental and lifestyle-related factors before birth or during adolescence. While the reproductive effects of tobacco, alcohol, and sedentary lifestyles are still being studied, it is clear that other factors, such as excessive heat, ionizing radiation, dibromochloropropane, and estrogen, can lead to severe testicular damage in adults. This article reviews lifestyle-related factors that can affect male fertility and discusses the effects of electromagnetic radiation from cell phones on male reproductive function.  Some lifestyles cause testicular exposure to excessive heat. Overheated work environments (bakers, welders, foundry workers), sedentary work habits, prolonged driving and excessively tight clothing can interfere with temperature regulation in the scrotum, leading to an increase in testicular temperature, which in turn affects spermatogenesis.Saleh et al. demonstrated that smoking leads to an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and a decrease in antioxidant capacity (TAC), which disturbs the ROS/TAC ratio. Smoking is associated with increased levels of leukocytes in semen, and activated leukocytes produce ROS and can lead to oxidative stress. Various components of cigarettes (e.g., polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) and their metabolites may act as chemotactic stimulators and consequently lead to an inflammatory response that recruits leukocytes, which in turn produce ROS. recent studies have shown that early changes in semen quality in small smokers are mild oligospermia, whereas heavy smokers often result in severe teratozoospermia.  The effects of environmental toxins and endocrine actives on male reproductive health have been extensively studied, and many animal and human studies have shown that metallic lead is capable of producing serious damage to the male reproductive organs. Lead causes excessive oxidative stress by affecting the activity of antioxidant enzymes and is able to affect unsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in cell membranes.  The latest environmental exposure factor associated with reproductive health is cell phone radiation. The energy of cell phone radiation (radiofrequency electromagnetic waves, RF-EMW) is very low compared to ionizing radiation (e.g., X-rays, 1010-1018 MHz) and they cannot cause ionization of molecules, yet exposure to RF-EMW can lead to a range of biological effects. Recently, epidemiological studies, including one by our (Ashok Agarwal) center, have suggested that cell phone radiation can negatively affect important parameters of semen quality. Those who use cell phones for more than 4 hours per day have reduced sperm viability compared to those who do not, and a cross-sectional study reported a 1.86 ratio (OR) of infertility among military personnel exposed to RF-EMW compared to those not exposed. The reproductive damage caused by RF-EMW is multilayered, with chronic exposure to RF-EMW affecting the mitochondrial genome and the sperm nuclear β-globin locus in the epididymis, thereby leading to increased expression of sperm adhesion proteins. Other studies have also shown a decrease in the mean diameter of spermatogenic tubules in rats exposed to cell phone radiation. Numerous experimental animal studies have shown that cell phone radiation can lead to oxidative stress, which can stimulate mammalian cell membrane NADH oxidase and lead to free radical production.  The results of in vitro studies on the effects of RF-EMW on human spermatozoa are controversial, with one study showing a gradual decrease in sperm viability when the semen of volunteers was exposed to cell phone radiation for 5 min. In contrast, other studies exposed purified mature sperm to RF-EMW for one hour and sperm viability was unaffected. We (Ashok Agarwal) recently found for the first time that RF-EMW radiation can lead to increased oxidative stress of spermatozoa in ejaculated semen (RF-EMW exposure for 1 hr, effective absorbance 1.46 W/ kg, temperature 20 degrees C), with a significant increase in ROS levels and an increase in the ROS/TAC ratio after cell phone radiation.  In recent years, there has been extensive debate on whether lifestyle affects semen quality. It is still difficult to reach a definitive conclusion because of the wide range of lifestyle factors, and it is difficult to adequately express the effect of a particular lifestyle factor on all parameters of sperm. In addition, genetics, age, and duration of exposure are detrimental to the reproductive system. There is a strong need to study the response to RF-EMW radiation between different age groups as well as other radiation-related diseases. In addition, in vivo experimental studies should be conducted in healthy volunteers to explore the effects of RF-EMW on male reproductive health. Eventually, subsequent studies will surely reveal the effects of lifestyle factors on male reproduction over time.