Spotlight on EMF Research - Spotlight on “Expression levels of tam receptors and ligands in the testes of rats exposed to short and middleterm 2100 MHz radiofrequency radiation” by Katirci et al. i...

Spotlight on EMF Research Spotlight on “Expression levels of tam receptors and ligands in the testes of rats exposed to short and middle-term 2100 MHz radiofrequency radiation” by Katirci et al. in Bioelectromagnetics (2024) Category [radiofrequency, animal study] Spotlight - Mai/2025 no.1 (Eng) Competence Centre for Electromagnetic Fields (KEMF) 1 Putting the paper into context by the BfS A study published in 2017 triggered a large media response by reporting a significant decline in sperm counts among men between 1973 and 2011 in Western countries [2]. This decline was associated with multiple environmental and lifestyle influences. Radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) from mobile phones were speculated to be one of the many possible causes. A recently published systematic review found low certainty of evidence for a decreased sperm count in rodents after exposure to high RF EMF levels [3]. The authors of the review recommended further investigations of this endpoint at exposure levels close to the limit values for humans. The continuing interest of the research community in this topic is exemplified by the present study. 2 Results and conclusions from the perspective of Katirci et al. Several reports of negative health effects from exposure to RF-EMF, particularly from RF-EMF emitted by mobile phones, prompted the authors to evaluate its effects on the testis of exposed rats [1]. Their focus was on the TAM receptors Tyro3, Axl and Mer, which are...