Effect of Cd transferred via food product on spermatogenesis in the rat

The aim of this work was to assess the effect of organic Cd on the pituitary-testicular axis in rats given diet containing Cd incorporated in radish bulb. A control group was assigned a diet containing ordinary radish for 12 week and second received for the same period a diet containing Cd-contaminated radish at the rate of 20 + 2 microg g(-1) of dry weight. At the end of treatments, the rats were anaesthetized, blood samples were collected and epididymides were removed for establishing sperm count. Circulating FSH, LH and testosterone levels were determined by electrochemiluminescence using automate (Elecsys 2110; Rochediagnostics). A decrease in FSH levels was observed in Cd-exposed animals. This seems to be at the origin of the large drop in the number of spermatozoa. Concerning the plasma testosterone levels we observed a significant increase in contaminated animals. Surprisingly, LH does not exhibit any variation, leading to the conclusion that the feedback control between testosterone and LH was disrupted by the use of Cd. In conclusion, our data indicate that the hypothalamic-pituitary axis is the principal target of Cd toxicity.