title: Protective effect of quercetin on cadmium-induced oxidative toxicity on germ cells in male mice.
abstract: Cadmium is a toxic heavy metal that is widely distributed in the environment. As a critical process, oxidative toxicity mediates the morphological and functional damages in germ cells after cadmium exposure. In this study, the protective effect of quercetin on cadmium-induced oxidative toxicity was investigated in mouse testicular germ cells. After oral administration of cadmium chloride at 4 mg/kg body weight for 2 weeks, damages in spermatozoa occurred in the early stage of spermatogenesis. Cadmium treatment significantly decreased the testicular antioxidant system, including decreases in the glutathione (GSH) level, superoxide dismutase (SOD), and GSH peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities. Moreover, exposure to cadmium resulted in an increase of hydrogen peroxide production and lipid peroxidation in testes. In addition, cadmium provoked germ cell apoptosis by upregulating expression of the proapoptotic proteins Bax and caspase-3 and downregulating expression of the antiapoptotic protein Bcl-XL. However, combined administration of a common flavonoid quercetin at 75 mg/kg body weight significantly attenuated cadmium-induced germ cell apoptosis by suppressing the hydrogen peroxide production and lipid peroxidation in testicular tissue. Simultaneous supplementation of quercetin markedly restored the decrease in GSH level and SOD and GSH-Px activities elicited by cadmium treatment. Additionally, quercetin protected germ cells from cadmium-induced apoptosis by downregulating the expression of Bax and caspase-3 and upregulating Bcl-XL expression. These results indicate that quercetin, due to its antioxidative and antiapoptotic characters, may manifest effective protective action against cadmium-induced oxidative toxicity in mouse testicular germ cells.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Animal Epidemic Etiology and Immunological Prevention of the Ministry of Agriculture, Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, No. 268 Kaixuan Road, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Tongliang
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bu
authors.forename: Yuling
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Mi
authors.forename: Weidong
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.forename: Caiqiao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D019256:Cadmium Chloride / Q000633:toxicity*; D053148:Caspase 3 / Q000378:metabolism; D005978:Glutathione / Q000378:metabolism; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide / Q000378:metabolism; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects*; D011794:Quercetin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000378:metabolism; D013737:Testis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D051020:bcl-X Protein / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; C494827:Bax protein, mouse; C494812:Bcl2l1 protein, mouse; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein; D051020:bcl-X Protein; D008315:Malondialdehyde; D011794:Quercetin; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase; D053148:Caspase 3; D005978:Glutathione; D019256:Cadmium Chloride