This study describes the in vivo response of rat testes to acute iron overload. Male Wistar rats (250-300 g) were injected ip with iron dextran at doses of 250 (Fe250), 500 (Fe500), or 1000 mg/kg body wt (Fe1000) or with saline (C). Parameters of oxidative stress and iron toxicity were measured 20 h after injection. Total iron content was 3.5-, 5.3-, and 10.4-fold higher in the Fe250, Fe500, and Fe1000 groups, respectively, compared to controls (320 +/- 22 nmol/g tissue). Histological studies showed that: (a) iron accumulated in the sperm and other testes cells, and (b) spermatogenesis was markedly lower in the Fe1000 group. The concentration of alpha-tocopherol, ubiquinol-9, and ubiquinol-10 in the testes was inversely correlated with the extent of oxidation. Testes chemiluminescence was 45% higher in the Fe1000 group compared to controls (41 cps/cm(2)). Endogenous levels of lipid oxidation, evaluated as 2-thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances, were 46, 73, and 82% higher in the groups Fe250, Fe500, and Fe1000, respectively, than in controls (33.6 +/- 1.4 nmol/g tissue). Oxidative damage to DNA evaluated by the presence of 8-oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine (oxo(8)dG), was 26, 39, and 74% higher in the Fe250, Fe500, and Fe1000 groups, respectively, than in the C group (2.3 +/- 0.1 oxo(8)dG/10(5)dG). Protein oxidation was measured as protein thiols and carbonyl content in proteins and glutamine synthase activity. Protein thiols content and glutamine synthase activity were similar in all the groups, while the protein-associated carbonyls content was 96% higher in the Fe1000 group than in the C group (2.1 +/- 0.4 nmol/mg protein). No changes in the activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase were observed. The results showed that in vivo iron overload induced oxidative stress and the impairment of spermatogenesis in rat testes that were dependent on the amount of iron supplemented and its accumulation in the tissue.
Copyright 1999 Academic Press.