EFFECTS OF AN ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD ON BOAR SPERM PERMEABILITY Alita Loveless, PGY 4 M. Sellers, L. Welch, S. Prien

Introduction  Electromagnetic fields are everywhere  Produced by alternating current  Can affect and possibly damage human tissues by thermal effect and disruption of molecular structure  Questionable links to various medical problems

Previous Experiments  Exposure to extremely high EMFs caused a decrease in semen parameters  Parameters are indicative of cell function

Questions  A way to detect signs of cell damage before cell function was altered  Mechanism leading to decreased cell function

Theoretically…  Long-term depolarization of a cell membrane when subjected to an EMF  Shift in membrane permeability  Potential effect on osmoregulation and disruption of cell function

Common Lab Equipment  Hood 8 mG  Centrifuge36 mG  Incubator Upper shelf 86 mG Middle shelf32 mG Lower shelf 2 mG

Materials and Methods  Porcine semen samples  Incubated at 37 degrees Celcius with and without exposure to an EMF  Removed samples, combined them with fluoroscein  Examined the samples under a fluorescent microscope to determine percentage permeabilized

Results  Decreases in standard semen parameters

Results  Effects on path straightness and linearity

Results  Increased cell permeability with EMF exposure

Conclusion  Short-term exposure to an EMF appears to increase sperm permeability and alter cell physiology

Clinical Relevance  Assisted Reproductive Technology labs  Environment is critical  Could basic equipment be affecting our success rates?

Resources and Thanks…  Thanks to Lisa Welch, Matt Sellers, and Dr. Prien  Previous research: Dr. Naghma Farooqi  WHO EMF Project