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Cadmium interacts with the zinc-dependent stability of the human sperm chromatin
T H Casswall1, L Björndahl, U Kvist
1Department of Physiology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Journal of Trace Elements and Electrolytes in Health and Disease
|December 1, 1987
Abstract:
Zinc normally participates in the stabilization of the chromatin of human spermatozoa, which have a high content of zinc after ejaculation. Sperm chromatin, depleted of zinc with EDTA, regained stability in the detergent SDS after exposure to Cd2+ in vitro. This effect was reversible with EDTA, but albumin could not reverse the stabilization caused by Cd2+ to the same extent as it reversed the stabilization caused by Zn2+.