title: Cadmium-induced testes oxidative damage in rats can be influenced by dietary zinc intake.
abstract: We tested the hypothesis that zinc deficient animals would be characterized by an increased sensitivity to cadmium-induced oxidative damage to the testes. Weanling male rats were given free access to either a control (25 microg Zn/g) or a zinc deficient (0.5 microg Zn/g) diet; or restricted access to the 25 microg Zn/g diet at a level of intake similar to that of rats fed the 0.5 microg Zn/g diet. After 14 days on the diets, animals were injected s.c. with either saline or CdCl2 (2 mg Cd/kg body weight) solutions, and killed 24 h later. In the zinc-deficient group, testes weight and testes/body weight were higher in the cadmium-injected rats than in the saline-injected rats. The extent of hemorrhages, as indicated by high hemoglobin and testes iron concentrations was higher in the cadmium-treated zinc deficient group than in the cadmium-injected controls. In the zinc-deficient group, cadmium injection was associated with higher levels of lipid peroxidation (33% higher TBARS content) and protein oxidation (17% lower glutamine synthetase activity). Cadmium injection did not influence these parameters in the zinc-adequate groups. Extracellular superoxide dismutase activity was lower in the zinc-deficient group than in the zinc-sufficient groups; there was a trend (P < 0.06) for a lower activity in the cadmium- versus the saline-injected rats. These results support the concept that zinc deficiency increases the susceptibility of testes to cadmium-mediated free radical damage.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Química Biológica-IQUIFIB, Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Instituto de Química y Fisicoquímica Biológicas, (UBA-CONICET), Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina. oteiza@qb.ffyb.uba.ar
authors.forename: P I
authors.initials: PI
authors.lastname: Oteiza
authors.forename: V N
authors.initials: VN
authors.lastname: Adonaylo
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Keen
mesh_terms: D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D002104:Cadmium / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity*; D003300:Copper / Q000378:metabolism; D004032:Diet; D005609:Free Radicals / Q000378:metabolism; D005974:Glutamate-Ammonia Ligase / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D007501:Iron / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013737:Testis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D017392:Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances / Q000378:metabolism; D013997:Time Factors; D014886:Weaning; D015032:Zinc / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000172:deficiency / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D005609:Free Radicals; D017392:Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances; D002104:Cadmium; D003300:Copper; D007501:Iron; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase; D005974:Glutamate-Ammonia Ligase; D015032:Zinc