Korean J Anat.  2000 Feb;33(1):29-40.

Histological and Biochemical Study on the Effect of Cadmium Chloride on the Rat Testis

• Kim WS
• Myung PK
• Yang EJ
• Cho KJ

Abstract

Although cadmium is a well known heavy metal which has an influence testis and brings about male infertility, the mechanism of action in the testis is still fully unknown. In these experiment, cadmium chloride 4 mg/kg of body weight administered intraperitoneally to the rat (Sprague-Dawley) and sacrificed after 1 week, and morphological changes were observed by LM and TEM. In addition, electrophoresis, immunoprecipitation and Western blotting and N-terminal analysis performed to reveal the protein changes. 1. Major findings under light microscope were hemorrhagic necrosis and death of all the spermatogenic cells and supporting cells within the seminiferous tubules, and decreased volume of ECM, many apoptotic bodies, and death of interstitial cells and fibroblasts within interstitium. 2. The EM findings were disruption of nuclear membrane and disappearance of cell organelles of spermatogenic cells and supporting cells within seminiferous tubules, and decreased filopodia, increased inclusion bodies, vacuolation and apoptotic changes of the interstitial cells and fibroblastic cells, many short electron-dense collagen fibers in the extracellular matrix of interstitium. 3. Two proteins of molecular weight 42 kDa and 21 kDa which disappeared after cadmium treatment were rat collagen type I alpha 2. According to the above results, it is considered that cadmium degrades the collagen of the wall of small blood vessels within seminiferous tubules and interstitium and disrupts vascular walls, which results hemorrhagic necrosis, death of all the spermatogenic cells, and the death of interstitial cells and fibroblastic cells.

Keyword

Seminiferous tubule; Interstitial cell; Hemorrhagic necrosis; Cadmium chloride; Collagen

MeSH Terms

Animals
Blood Vessels
Blotting, Western
Body Weight
Cadmium Chloride*
Cadmium*
Collagen
Collagen Type I
Electrophoresis
Extracellular Matrix
Fibroblasts
Immunoprecipitation
Inclusion Bodies
Infertility, Male
Male
Molecular Weight
Necrosis
Nuclear Envelope
Organelles
Pseudopodia
Rats*
Seminiferous Tubules
Testis*
Cadmium
Cadmium Chloride
Collagen
Collagen Type I