Chronic cadmium exposure: relation to male reproductive toxicity and subsequent fetal outcome

Journal Article · Mon Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 1982 · J. Toxicol. Environ. Health; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1080/15287398209530171· OSTI ID:5293964

Zenick, H ^[1]; Hastings, L; Goldsmith, M; Niewenhuis, R J

---

1. Univ. of Cincinnati, OH

Acute injections of high doses of Cd induced marked testicular necrosis. However, the effects of low-dose, oral Cd exposure on a chronic basis are not well documented. The present investigation was designed to examine the effects of such exposure as reflected in parameters of spermatotoxicity and histology. Moreover, the impact on fetal outcome was measured by evaluating teratological and postnatal neurobehavior endpoints. Male Long-Evans hooded rats (100 d of age) were exposed to 0, 17.2, 34.4, or 68.8 ppm Cd for 70 d. During this period, the animals were maintained on a semipurified diet to control for the contribution of Zn and other trace elements. Near the end of exposure the males were mated to three female rats. One was sacrificed on d 21 of pregnancy for teratological assessment, including fetal weight, and determination of preimplantation and postimplantation loss. The other two dams were allowed to deliver, and their offspring were tested on tasks of exploratory behavior (d 21) and learning (d 90). Subsequently, the male parent was sacrified and a variety of measures recorded including weights of testes and caudae epididymides, sperm count and sperm morphology, and Cd content of liver and kidney. One of the testes was also evaluated histologically. No significant effects were observed on any of the parameters of reproductive toxicity or fetal outcome. These findings suggest that, at the doses employed in this study, Cd did not have signficant deleterious effects on the male reproductive system. Morever, the traditional view of Cd-related testicular insult, based on acute exposure, injection protocols, needs to be reevaluated in terms of environmental relevance.

• OSTI ID: 5293964
• Journal Information: J. Toxicol. Environ. Health; (United States), Vol. 9:3
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
CADMIUM
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
CHRONIC EXPOSURE
TERATOGENESIS
TISSUE DISTRIBUTION
TOXICITY
PROGENY
BEHAVIOR
TESTES
HISTOLOGY
ELEMENTS
FETUSES
INJECTION
KIDNEYS
LIVER
MATING
RATS
REPRODUCTION
SPERMATOZOA
ANIMALS
BODY
DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
DISTRIBUTION
GAMETES
GERM CELLS
GLANDS
GONADS
INTAKE
MALE GENITALS
MAMMALS
METALS
ORGANS
RODENTS
VERTEBRATES
560305* - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology- Vertebrates- (-1987)