Vitamin C Protects the Female Rat Reproductive System from Electromagnetic Radiation

by | Sep 16, 2019 | 2018, Environmental Health, Reproductive Health, Vitamin C, Women's Health

Written by Angeline A. De Leon, Staff Writer. Vitamin C supplementation significantly reduced the oxidative damage to the rat reproductive system due to continuous EMR exposure.

vitamin CAs the ubiquity of electronic devices continues to increase, so too does evidence for its potentially detrimental effects on the human body 1. Chronic exposure to electromagnetic radiation (EMR) (2.45 GHz) is associated with decrements in cognitive function 2, neurodegenerative diseases 3, sleep problems 4, and mood disturbances such as anxiety and depression 5. Recent studies also show that long-term exposure to EMR can be harmful to the female reproductive system 6, resulting in infertility, germ cell apoptosis, and a decrease in ovarian follicles 3,4. Given its role in oxidative stress and disruption of antioxidant defense systems 7, EMR may be considered an environmental stressor. In a 2018 study 8 published in Toxicology and Industrial Health, researchers sought to evaluate the long-term effects of EMR exposure on the ovarian, fallopian tubal, and uterine tissues of rats. To determine whether natural intake of antioxidants might offer protective benefits against the oxidative damage associated with EMR, researchers also tested the capacity of vitamin C (a powerful antioxidant known to protect against infection and inflammation in various diseases 9 to attenuate pathophysiological and morphological changes in the tissue of the female reproductive system.

A total of 18 female Sprague-Dawley rats were equally divided into three groups: a sham group receiving saline solution, an EMR group receiving EMR exposure (2.45 GHz, delivered using a Ferris wheel setup) one hour daily for 30 days (EMR), and an EMR group receiving EMR exposure (under same conditions) plus vitamin C supplementation (250 mg/kg/daily) (EMR + Vit C). After rats were anesthetized, tissue samples were collected from the ovaries, fallopian tubes, and uterus. Total antioxidant (TAS), total oxidant status (TOS), estrogen levels, and anti-mullerian hormone (AMH, hormone secreted by developing follicles) were quantified, and an oxidative stress index (OSI) computed. Tissues sections were also analyzed for quantitative and qualitative histopathological changes, and an immunohistochemical analysis carried out to evaluate Caspase-3 and Caspase-8 reactions (involved in cell apoptosis).

In the EMR group, TOS (p = 0.011) and OSI (p = 0.002) levels were seen to increase in ovarian tissue samples, however, for the EMR + Vit C group, TOS and OSI values significantly decreased across ovarian, fallopian tubal, and uterine tissues (p < 0.05 for all). Likewise, biochemical findings in serum showed that AMH levels significantly increased in EMR-treated rats, compared to the sham group (p = 0.017) and significantly diminished in Vit C-treated rats, compared to the EMR group (p = 0.016). No pathological findings were reported for any of the groups in ovarian and fallopian tubal tissues, but marked hyperemia (excess blood in vessels) was observed in the uterine tissue of the EMR group. Immunohistochemical analyses also revealed significantly increased expressions of Caspase-3 (in ovarian and uterine tissues) and Caspase-8 (in uterine tissues) in the EMR group (p < 0.001 for all), whereas for the EMR + Vit C group, Caspase-3 showed significantly diminished expression in ovarian and uterine tissues (p < 0.05 for both) and significantly reduced expression of Caspase-8 in uterine tissues (p < 0.05).

Study findings demonstrate the adverse changes caused by prolonged EMR exposure at the physiological level of the female reproductive system. Tissue samples from the ovaries, fallopian tubes, and uterus showed signs of oxidative damage affecting antioxidant levels, hormone levels, and cellular processes associated with cell death. While confirming a potential role of EMR exposure in the relationship between oxidative damage and changes in the female reproductive system potentially associated with infertility, researchers also showed a protective benefit of vitamin C. Supplementation with vitamin C was seen to significantly ameliorate the hazardous effects associated with EMR in all three types of tissue samples, supporting the pharmacological value of vitamin C as a potent antioxidant. Future studies focusing on elucidating the pathophysiological mechanisms involved in vitamin C’s therapeutic role would be helpful, and it would be important to examine the transferability of such effects in human subjects as well.

Source: Saygin M, Ozmen O, Erol O, et al. The impact of electromagnetic radiation on the female reproductive system: the role of vitamin C. Toxicology and Industrial Health. 2018; 34(9): 620-630. DOI: 10.1177/0748233718775540.

© The Author(s) 2018

Posted September 16, 2019.

Angeline A. De Leon, MA, graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2010, completing a bachelor’s degree in psychology, with a concentration in neuroscience. She received her master’s degree from The Ohio State University in 2013, where she studied clinical neuroscience within an integrative health program. Her specialized area of research involves the complementary use of neuroimaging and neuropsychology-based methodologies to examine how lifestyle factors, such as physical activity and meditation, can influence brain plasticity and enhance overall connectivity.

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