Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Changes in the Peritubular Tissue of Rat Testis after Cadmium Treatment

  • Published:
Biological Trace Element Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The present study demonstrates histological and immunohistochemical changes in the peritubular testicular tissue of rat testis after application of cadmium chloride. After 5-day cadmium exposure, advanced deterioration of the boundary testicular tissue, mainly oedema, disarrangement of collagen fibres and peritubular cells, dilatation and thrombosis of blood vessels were observed. Changes in the boundary tissue were accompanied with desquamation of the germinal epithelium. Immunohistochemically, positive reaction for α-smooth muscle actin and desmin in tunica media of large testicular blood vessels basically was not affected. No reaction for vimentin was seen in endothelial cells of blood capillaries, whereas positive reaction presented only these cells in large blood vessels. The myofibroblasts positively reacting for desmin and α-smooth muscle actin form a single incomplete layer in the lamina propria of seminiferous tubules. Vimentin reactivity in the myofibroblasts and in the supporting Sertoli cells as well as Leydig cells in damaged testicular tissue was not observed. An increase in fibroblasts and free inflammatory cells positive for vimentin in the peritubular space on the peripheric area of the testis was observed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Moisan E, Girard D (2006) Cell surface expression of intermediate filament proteins vimentin and lamin B1 in human neutrophil spontaneous apoptosis. J Leukoc Biol 79:489–498

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Aoki A, Hoffer AP (1978) Reexamination of the lesion in rat testis caused by cadmium. Biol Reprod 18:579–591

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Gupta RK, Barnes GW, Skelton FR (1967) Light microscopic and immunopathologic observations on cadmium chloride-induced injury in mature rat testis. Am J Path 51:191–205

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Pařizek J (1960) Sterilization of the male by cadmium salts. J Reprod Fert 1:294

    Google Scholar 

  5. Gázdik T, Kaminski M (1984) Ultrastructural study of development of the rat testis. II. After injecting CdCl2. Folia Morphol 32:218–222

    Google Scholar 

  6. Gunn SA, Gould TC, Anderson WAD (1966) Protective effect of thiol compounds against cadmium-induced vascular damage to testis. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med 122:1036–1039

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. King LM, Banks WA, George WJ (1999) Differences in cadmium transport to the testis, epididymis, and brain in cadmium-sensitive and -resistant murine strains 129/J and A/J. J Pharmacol Exp Therapeut 289:825–830

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Gouveia MA (1988) The testes in cadmium intoxication: morphological and vascular aspects. Andrologia 20:225–231

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Bergh AR (1990) The acute vascular effects of cadmium in the testis do not require the presence of Leydig cells. Toxicology 63:183–186

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Passia DB, Hilscher B, Abel J, Haider SG, Hilscher W, Redi C (1985) Methallothionein synthesis in the liver and kidney and enzyme histochemical changes in the testis induced by cadmium treatment. Acta Histochem (Jena) Suppl. XXXI:159–165

  11. Setchell BP, Waites GMH (1970) Changes in the permeability of the testicular capillaries and of the ‘blood–testis barrier’ after injection of cadmium chloride in the rat. J Endocrinol 47:81–86

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Niemi M, Kormano M (1965) An angiographic study of cadmium-induced vascular lesions in the testis and epididymis of the rat. Acta Path Microbiol Scand 63:513

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Mor-Vaknin N, Punturieri A, Sitwala K, Markovitz DM (2003) Vimentin is secreted by activated macrophages. Nat Cell Biol 5:59–63

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Desjardins C (1993) Design and function of the microcirculation. In: Desjardins C, Ewing LL (eds) Cell and molecular biology of the testis. Oxford University Press, New York, pp 127–136

    Google Scholar 

  15. Hadley MA, Byers SW, Suarez-Quian CA, Kleinman HK, Dym M (1985) Extracellular matrix regulates Sertoli cell differentiation, testicular cord formation, and germ cell development in vitro. J Cell Biol 101:1511–1522

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Hadley MA, Djakiev D, Byers SW, Dym M (1987) Polarized secretion of androgen-binding protein and transferrin by Sertoli cells grown in a bicameral cultured system. Endocrinol 120:1097–1103

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Hsu SM, Raine L, Fanger H (1981) The use of avidin–biotin–peroxidase complex in immunoperoxidase techniques: a comparison between ABC and unlabelled antibody (PAP) procedures. J Histochem Cytochem 29:577–580

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Hew KW, Heath GL, Jiwa AH, Welsh MJ (1992) Cadmium in vivo causes disruption of tight junction-associated microfilaments in rat testis. Biol Reprod 49:840–849

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Hinton BT, Turner TT (1993) The seminiferous tubular microenvironment. In: Desjardins C, Ewing LL (eds) Cell and molecular biology of the testis. Oxford Univ. Press, New York, pp 238–265

    Google Scholar 

  20. Virtanen I, Kallajoki M, Näurväunen O, Paranko J, Thornell LE, Miettinen M, Lehto VP (1985) Peritubular myoid cells of human and rat testis are smooth muscle cells that contain desmin-type intermediate filaments. Anat Rec 215:10–20

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Singhal RL, Vijayvargiiya R, Shukla GS (1985) Toxic effects of cadmium and lead on reproductive functions. In: Thomas JA (ed) Endocrine toxicology. Raven, New York

    Google Scholar 

  22. Clegg EJ, Carr I (1967) Changes in the blood vessels of the rat testis and epididymis produced by cadmium chloride. J Pathol 94:317–322

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Helmke BP, Goldman RD, Davies PF (2000) Rapid displacement of vimentin intermediate filaments in living endothelial cells exposed to flow. Circ Res 86:745

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Veterinary Medicine, Komenského 73, 041 81, Košice, Slovakia

    Elena Marettová, M. Maretta & J. Legáth

  2. Department of Anatomy, Histology and Physiology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Košice, Slovakia

    Elena Marettová

Authors
  1. Elena Marettová
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. M. Maretta
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. J. Legáth
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Elena Marettová.

Additional information

This study was supported by the National Laboratory for Pesticides, UVM Košice.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Marettová, E., Maretta, M. & Legáth, J. Changes in the Peritubular Tissue of Rat Testis after Cadmium Treatment. Biol Trace Elem Res 134, 288–295 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-009-8473-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-009-8473-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation