Effect of high sound wave on ovarian tissue: an experimental study

Abstract

After air pollution, the most important environmental factor threatening human health is noise. Physiologic damage or psychological damage can occur because of noise. Increased oxidative stress, vascular changes and mechanical trauma may be responsible for the physiologic damage mechanism of noise. This study aimed to reveal the effect of noise on follicles in ovaries. In the study, a total of 30 female Wistar albino rats (12 weeks old) were randomly divided into three groups (n = 10): the control group, no treatment; the sham group, exposed to stress conditions (but not to any high waves) in a special room at the same time as the high sound wave group; and the high sound wave (HSW) group, exposed to HSW in a special room for 28 days. At the end of the 28th day, the rats were sacrificed and ovarian tissues were harvested. Stereologic and biochemical analyses were performed. All stereologic volumetric parameters and Gonadal Somatic Index (GSI) values, lipid peroxidation (LPO) and glutathione (GSH) levels in all groups were evaluated statistically, and significant differences were found between the control and HSW, sham and HSW groups, respectively. However, no statistical difference was found between the control and sham groups. A decrease in catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities were found in the HSW group compared with the control and sham groups, suggesting that noise can cause oxidative stress and damage to the ovaries.