African Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology Vol. 6(4), pp. 248-252, 29 January, 2012 Available online http://www.academicjournals.org/ajpp DOI: 10.5897/AJPP11.701 ISSN 1996-0816 ©2012 Academic Journals Full Length Research Paper Effects of rosmarinic acid on male sex hormones (testosterone-FSH-LH) and testis tissue apoptosis after exposure to electromagnetic field (EMF) in rats Arash Khaki 1 *, S. A. M. Imani 2 and Farhad S. Golzar 1 1 Department of Veterinary Pathology, Tabriz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tabriz, Iran. 2 Young Researchers Club, Tabriz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tabriz, Iran. Accepted 31 November, 2011 Rosmarinic acid (RA) is a polyphenol derived from many common herbal plants of the Lamiaceae group: Rosemary, sage, Spanish sage, oregano, basil, marjoram, thyme, the mint group, lavender, perilla and lemon balm. It is currently being studied for its effects on Alzheimer's disease and some other diseases. Rosmarinic acid in its natural state as part of a herb has been used to strengthen the memory and to improve mood by dispersing melancholy. Male Wistar rats (n = 40) were allocated to four groups, a control group (n = 10) and three treatment groups (n = 30). The first treatment group received rosmarinic acid (5 mg/kg body weight), the second extract group received rosmarinic acid (5 mg/kg body weight) and electromagnetic field (EMF) exposure at 50 Hz for 40 consecutive days, whilst the forth group received only EMF exposure for 40 consecutive days. Animals were maintained under standard conditions. At the conclusion of the test period, rat testes tissues were removed from all group members and animals were maintained under standard conditions. Tissue preparation was performed and analyzed for apoptosis. There was a significant increase in apoptosis in EMF group and significant increase in testosterone serum level in RA group when compared with other groups (P < 0.05). EMF has negative effect on testis histology in rats. However, these side effects are less seen in the EMF group that received RA. Therefore, it is recommended that usage of rosmarinic acid in modern country has fewer industrial side effects on male fertility. Key words: Apoptosis, electromagnetic field (EMF), male fertility, rosmarinic acid, testis. INTRODUCTION The antioxidant capacity of phenolic compounds, flavonoids and foods rich in these compounds, has been repeatedly demonstrated in various in vitro and in vivo systems (Alexandopoulou et al., 2006). Rosmarinic acid (RA), a water-soluble polyphenolic component isolated from Dansam-Eum (DSE), has been reported to have anti-oxidative (Huang and Zhang, 1992; Firdose et al., 2011), anti-inflammatory (Osakabe et al., 2004) and anti- depressive activities (Takeda et al., 2002). Li et al. (2007) reported that RA was found in the brain following intravenous administration of Salvia miltiorrhiza. Hence, RA can be considered as an active compound that *Correspondence author. E-mail: arashkhaki@yahoo.com. Tel: +98-914313-8399. improves the health of auditory regulation organs. An electromagnetic field (EMF or EM field) is a physical field produced by electrically charged objects. EMFs affect the behavior of charged objects in the vicinity of the field. The EMF extends indefinitely through space and determines electromagnetic interaction (Schüz et al., 2009; Emre et al., 2011). EMF is one of the four fundamental forces of nature; the others are gravitation, the weak interaction and the strong interaction. The EMF can be viewed as a combination of an electric field and a magnetic field. The increased use of power lines and modern electrical devices is of concern as a public health hazard, and chronic exposure to EMF has attracted considerable attention. Exposure to EMF adversely affects spermatogenesis by the Sertoli and Leydig cells (Martínez-Sámano et al., 2010). Magnetic fields of 50 Hz also induce cytotoxic and cytostatic changes in the