Therapeutic ultrasound as a potential male contraceptive: power, frequency and temperature required to deplete rat testes of meiotic cells and epididymides of sperm determined using a commercially available system

Table 2 Treatment parameters for Study 1

Group name	Sham	Wet heat	1 MHz high power	3 MHz high power	3 MHz high power Na+	1 MHz low power	1 MHz low power Na+
Group number	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
Coupling medium (°C)	NR	45	37	37	37	NR	NR
Treatments	2	2	2	2	2	2	2
Duration (minutes)	15	15	15	15	15	15	15
Coupling medium	dg-DW	dg-DW	dg-DW	dg-DW	dg-Na⁺	dg-DW	dg-Na⁺
Intensity (W/cm²)	-	-	2.2	2.2	2.2	1	1
Frequency (MHz)	-	-	1	3	3	1	1
Transducer (cm²)	n/a	n/a	5	5	5	10	10
Rotation	n/a	n/a	+	+	+	-	-
Animals	2	3	3	4	4	3	3

Degassed, 3% sodium chloride was used as the coupling medium (dg-Na⁺), otherwise degassed distilled water was used (dg-DW). Temperature of the coupling medium was noted; otherwise there was no regulation (NR). Transducer ME7413 had a surface area of ~ 5 cm² (5) while model ME7410 had a surface area of ~ 10 cm² (10). Transducers were stationary (-) or were rotated in a plane parallel to the bottom of the ultrasound chamber (+). All groups received two consecutive treatments separated by two days.

ISSN: 1477-7827