Quantitative changes in the testicular structure in mice exposed to low doses of cadmium

Alfonso Blanco; Rosario Moyano; Joaquín Vivo; Rafaela Flores-Acuña; Ana Molina; Carmen Blanco; Eduardo Agüera; José G Monterde

doi:10.1016/j.etap.2006.07.008

Quantitative changes in the testicular structure in mice exposed to low doses of cadmium

Environ Toxicol Pharmacol. 2007 Jan;23(1):96-101. doi: 10.1016/j.etap.2006.07.008. Epub 2006 Aug 4.

Authors

Alfonso Blanco¹, Rosario Moyano, Joaquín Vivo, Rafaela Flores-Acuña, Ana Molina, Carmen Blanco, Eduardo Agüera, José G Monterde

Affiliation

¹ Department of Comparative Anatomy and Pathological Anatomy, Veterinary Faculty, University of Córdoba, 14071 Córdoba, Spain.

PMID: 21783742
DOI: 10.1016/j.etap.2006.07.008

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to quantify the consequences of a long-term exposure to low doses of cadmium on the testicular structure. Sexually mature male mice were orally exposed to cadmium (0.015g/1 of CdCl2 in drinking water) for 1, 3, 6 and 12 months and then sacrificed; cadmium withdrawal was also considered in two groups raised with cadmium for 3 and 6 months, and without cadmium for 3 and 6 months before sacrifice, respectively. Morphometrical and stereological estimations were applied to quantify the structural constituents of the testes. The morphological parameters (testicular mass and size) were significantly decreased at 6 and 12 months of cadmium exposure. Interstitium was the testicular constituent most sensitive to cadmium so that significant decreases in the volume fractions of interstitium and Leydig cells were recorded as from 3 months of cadmium exposure. Cadmium-exposed seminipherous tubules showed increased diameters and lumens together with decreased tubular densities and epithelial percentages.