OBJECTIVETo explore genital toxicity of depleted uranium (DU) by studying the changes of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in the testis of rats instilled with DU particles.

METHODSWistar rats were exposed to DU by means of different dosages of DU particles intratracheal instillation. The samples of the testis were collected 3 months later, and iNOS mRNA was determined by reverse-transcription PCR (RT-PCR). Semiquantitative analysis of the RT-PCR products was made with a transilluminator.

RESULTSiNOS mRNA was not observed in the control group. Compared with the control, there were significant increases of OD in the PCR products of all the DU groups (P < 0. 05 ); OD rose gradually from the DU 1 mg group to the DU 3 mg group, peaked in the latter, and subsided significantly in the DU 5 mg group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONIntratracheal instilled DU particles play a key role in iNOS mRNA expression of the rat testis. The iNOS mRNA expression will weaken when the DU dosage reaches a certain level, which may attribute to the complex of DU's chemical toxicity and radiation effects.

Animals ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation ; Gene Expression ; drug effects ; radiation effects ; Male ; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Testis ; enzymology ; Uranium ; toxicity