effect of radiation leakage of microwave oven on rat serum testosterone at pre and post pubertal stage

introduction: since discovery of high frequency waves, their biological effects have been in great attention. increased male fertility problems proposed their possible relation to use of microwaves. testes are of very active body tissues, which can be affected by these waves. age of exposure may also be an important factor. methods: this study was carried out to evaluated testosterone level in rats exposed to microwave radiation at pre and post puberty. for this study 18 adult (2 month old) and 18 immature (1 month old) male rats were selected and each group divided in two groups, control and test group. test groups were exposed to 2450 mhz microwaves produced by microwave oven (lg brant), three times a day, 30 minute each time. control groups were kept in laboratory at same temperature and light condition. after 60 days blood was collected by heart puncture and testosterone was measured in serum by ria method. mean testosterone levels were compared by t-test. result: the results showed that in immature group testosterone has not changed significantly compare to control group however in adult group this value was significantly decreased in test group in comparison with control (p<0.005). conclusion: exposure to microwaves leakage of microwave oven decreased testosterone in adult male rats, which may be due to its direct effect on leydig cells or indirectly through its effect on pituitary and hypothalamus.