Cadmium is known to exert toxic effects on multiple organs, including the testes. To determine if alpha-tocopherol, an antioxidant, could protect testicular tissues and spermatogenesis from the toxic effects of cadmium, six-week old male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized to receive cadmium at doses of 0 (control), 1, 2, 4 or 8 mg/kg by the intraperitoneal route (Group A) or alpha-tocopherol for 5 days before being challenged with cadmium (Group B) in an identical dose-dependent manner. When both groups received cadmium at 1 mg/kg, there were no changes in testicular histology relative to controls. When Group A received cadmium at 2 mg/kg, undifferentiated spermatids and dead Sertoli cells increased in the seminiferous tubules while interstitial cells decreased and inflammatory cells increased in the interstitial tissues. On flow cytometric analysis, the numbers of elongated spermatids (M1) and round spermatids (M2) decreased while 2c stage cells (M3, diploid) increased. In contrast, when Group B received cadmium at 2 mg/kg, the histological insults were reduced and the distribution of the germ cell population remained comparable to controls. However, alpha-tocopherol had no protective effects with higher cadmium doses of 4 and 8 mg/kg. These findings indicate that alpha-tocopherol treatment can protect testicular tissue and preserve spermatogenesis from the detrimental effects of cadmium but its effectiveness is dependent on the dose of cadmium exposed.
alpha-Tocopherol/*pharmacology ; Testis/*drug effects/pathology ; Spermatogenesis/*drug effects ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Rats ; Male ; Inflammation ; Flow Cytometry ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Cadmium Poisoning/*pathology ; Cadmium/metabolism/*pharmacology ; Antioxidants/pharmacology ; Animals

Animals ; Blood Urea Nitrogen ; Cadmium Poisoning ; blood ; metabolism ; pathology ; urine ; Disease Models, Animal ; Kidney ; drug effects ; pathology ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

Lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), and cadmium (Cd) are common heavy metal toxins and cause toxicological renal effects at high levels, but the relevance of low-level environmental exposures in the general population is controversial. A total of 1,797 adults who participated in the KNHANES (a cross-sectional nationally representative survey in Korea) were examined, and 128 of them (7.1%) had chronic kidney disease (CKD). Our study assessed the association between Pb, Hg, Cd exposure, and CKD. Blood Pb and Cd levels were correlated with CKD in univariate logistic regression model. However, these environmental heavy metals were not associated with CKD after adjustment for age, sex, BMI, smoking, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, diabetes, and these metals in multivariate logistic regression models. We stratified the analysis according to hypertension or diabetes. In the adults with hypertension or diabetes, CKD had a significant association with elevated blood Cd after adjustment, but no association was present with blood Pb and Hg. The corresponding odds ratio [OR] of Cd for CKD were 1.52 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.05-2.19, P=0.026) in adults with hypertension and 1.92 (95% CI, 1.14-3.25, P=0.014) in adults with diabetes. Environmental low level of Pb, Hg, Cd exposure in the general population was not associated with CKD. However, Cd exposure was associated with CKD, especially in adults with hypertension or diabetes. This finding suggests that environmental low Cd exposure may be a contributor to the risk of CKD in adults with hypertension or diabetes.
Adult ; Cadmium/blood/*toxicity ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Diabetes Mellitus/chemically induced/epidemiology ; *Environmental Exposure ; Female ; Humans ; Hypertension/chemically induced/epidemiology ; Kidney/drug effects/pathology ; Lead/blood/*toxicity ; Male ; Mercury/blood/*toxicity ; Metals, Heavy/*poisoning ; Middle Aged ; Nutrition Surveys ; Poisoning/*epidemiology ; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic/*epidemiology ; Republic of Korea ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Young Adult