Studies on the Restoration of Testicular Function in Cadmium-exposed Rats by Vitamins C and E

Abstract

The study was carried out to evaluate the ability of vitamins C and E to restore testicular function in cadmium-exposed rats. Thirty male wistar rats (180-200g) randomly divided into 3 groups; group 1 served as control, group 2 received only cadmium while group 3 was treated with cadmium before a combination of vitamins C and E. The vitamins (100 mg kg^-1 body wt vitamin C and 150 mgkg^-1 body wt vitamin E) were administered daily by gavage while CdCl2 (5 mgkg^-1 body wt.) or its vehicle (normal saline) was administered subcutaneously on day 1 of study. The testis, epididymis, prostate and blood from 6 rats in each group were used for biochemical analysis. The remaining 4 males were exposed to females in the ratio of 1male: 2 females for 17 days, at the end of which the implantation sites in the females were examined for reproductive success. Cadmium significantly (p<0.05) increased catalase activity, malondialdehyde and cholesterol levels in the testes and significantly (p<0.05) reduced catalase activity and testosterone/luteinizing hormone ratio relative to the control. It also reduced the quantity and quality of sperm cells compared with the control. Vitamin treatment significantly (p < 0.05) reduced malondialdehyde and total cholesterol levels in testes and prostate relative to the cadmium only group. No successful fertilization was observed in all the cadmium treated rats compared with the control. This study shows that at the dose of cadmium used, vitamins C and E could not effectively restore testicular function in rats.