title: Effects of cadmium on serum sex hormone levels in pigs.
abstract: An inhibition of sex hormone secretion is observed in domestic animals exposed to cadmium in experimental conditions. Ninety-six gilts (Duroc x Landrace x Yorkshire, initial weight 27.59 kg) were randomly assigned into four different groups with three replications in each group (eight gilts per replication). The groups received the corn-soybean basal diet and supplemented with 0, 0.5, 5.0 and 10.0 mg/kg cadmium (as CdCl2) respectively. The feeding trial was ended when body weight of pigs was approximately 90 kg. The results showed that 10.0 mg/kg cadmium significantly decreased average daily gain (p < 0.05) and increased feed/gain ratio (p < 0.05) of pigs. Follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, oestradiol (E2) and progesterone levels in serum of the pigs fed the diet supplemented with 10.0 mg/kg cadmium were lower significantly than those of the control (p < 0.05). Compared with the control, no changes were found in the levels mentioned above when the pigs fed the diet supplemented with 0.5 or 5.0 mg/kg cadmium (p > 0.05). The changes of regulatory mechanism of the pituitary-ovary axis may be the result of cadmium accumulation in pituitary and ovary and should be investigated further.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for Molecular Animal Nutrition of Ministry of Education, Feed Science Institute, College of Animal Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China. xyhan@zju.edu.cn
authors.forename: X-Y
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Z-R
authors.initials: ZR
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Y-Z
authors.initials: YZ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: W-L
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Du
mesh_terms: D000821:Animal Feed; D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000818:Animals; D002104:Cadmium / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004958:Estradiol / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone / Q000097:blood; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone / Q000097:blood; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D009928:Organ Specificity; D011374:Progesterone / Q000097:blood; D011897:Random Allocation; D013552:Swine / Q000097:blood* / Q000254:growth & development*; D015430:Weight Gain / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D002104:Cadmium; D011374:Progesterone; D004958:Estradiol; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone; D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone