Effects of cadmium exposure on medaka (Oryzias latipes) testes

Adult male medaka (Oryzias latipes) were exposed to 10 ppm of cadmium for 96 h, and the testes were examined histopathologically. Numerous apoptotic cells were found in the spermatogonia and spermatocytes at 72 and 96 h after initiation of cadmium exposure, and the pyknotic index, TUNEL-positive rate, and cleaved caspase-3-positive rate in the spermatogonia and spermatocytes of the cadmium-treated group were higher compared with the control group. No significant difference between the control and cadmium-treated groups was found in the phospho-histone H3-positive rate in the spermatogonia and spermatocytes. No edematous, hemorrhagic, or necrotic changes were observed within the testes in the cadmium-treated group. These results suggest that spermatogonia and spermatocytes in medaka testes are highly sensitive to cadmium. Exposure to 10 ppm of cadmium induced histopathologic changes in the testes that were similar to those described in rodents exposed to low doses of cadmium.