The Distribution of Boars Spermatozoa in Morphometrically Distinct Subpopulations after In Vitro Exposure to Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Radiation at 2500 MHz and Their Motility
Ivona Žura Žaja,
Silvijo Vince,
Ivan Butković,
Kim Senaši,
Nina Poljičak Milas,
Krešimir Malarić,
Martina Lojkić,
Ivan Folnožić,
Suzana Milinković Tur,
Mario Kreszinger,
Marko Samardžija,
Snježana Čipčić,
Nikolino Žura,
Mario Ostović,
Marinko Vilić
Affiliations
Ivona Žura Žaja
Department of Physiology and Radiobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia
Silvijo Vince
Clinic of Obstetrics and Reproduction, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia
Ivan Butković
Clinic of Obstetrics and Reproduction, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia
Kim Senaši
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia
Nina Poljičak Milas
Department of Pathological Physiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia
Krešimir Malarić
Department of Communication and Space Technologies, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing, University of Zagreb, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia
Martina Lojkić
Clinic of Obstetrics and Reproduction, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia
Ivan Folnožić
Clinic of Obstetrics and Reproduction, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia
Suzana Milinković Tur
Department of Physiology and Radiobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia
Mario Kreszinger
Clinic of Surgery, Orthopedics and Ophthalmology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia
Marko Samardžija
Clinic of Obstetrics and Reproduction, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia
Snježana Čipčić
University of Applied Health Sciences, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia
Nikolino Žura
University of Applied Health Sciences, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia
Mario Ostović
Department of Animal Hygiene, Behaviour and Welfare, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia
Marinko Vilić
Department of Physiology and Radiobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia
Anthropogenic radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation (RF-EMR) from wireless technologies has increased dramatically. The boar semen used for artificial insemination is essential in sustaining the pig industry, and additionally it is also exposed to the effects of the RF-EMR of wireless technologies. Furthermore, there are no data on the effects of RF-EMR on semen quality, and this is the first analysis of sperm’s morphometric parameters for assessing the effect of RF-EMR on the spermatozoa subpopulations of boars. This study investigated the effect of RF-EMR on in vitro exposed breeding boar semen spermatozoa motility and the proportions of spermatozoa subpopulations according to their morphometric head and tail parameters. The semen samples of 12 boars were divided into control and experimental groups. The samples in the experimental group were exposed in a gigahertz transverse electromagnetic chamber at a frequency of 2500 MHz (the frequency band used in 5G technology) and an electric field strength of 10 Vm−1 for two hours. After exposure, the spermatozoa motility was evaluated for both groups. A morphometric analysis of the semen smears was performed using SFORM software (Version 1.0; VAMS, Zagreb, Croatia). The progressive spermatozoa motility was significantly reduced in the experimental group (74.7% vs. 85.7%). PC analysis and cluster analysis revealed two spermatozoa subpopulations: S1, spermatozoa with a more regular head shape and a smaller midpiece outline, and S2, spermatozoa with a more elongated head shape and a larger midpiece outline. The experimental semen samples had a greater proportion of the S1 spermatozoa subpopulation (68.2% vs. 64.4%). The effect of RF-EMR at 2500 MHz on the in vitro exposed boar semen resulted in decreased progressive spermatozoa motility and a lower proportion of the spermatozoa subpopulation with a higher fertilizing potential.
