ABSTRACT
To investigate combined effects of stress and metal (aluminium, cadmium) on reproductivity, male rats twice per week received intraperitoneal injections of aluminium (3.8 mg Al3+ per kg of body weight) or cadmium (0.3 mg Cd2+ per kg of body weight) and were subjected to stress via short-term immobilization during spermatogenic cycle (54 +/- 3 days). Findings are cumulation of both cadmium and aluminium in genitals and brain, increasing under stress. When acting separately to the laboratory animals, the three factors (aluminium/cadmium/stress) increase serum corticosterone level, change testosterone level, increase number of aberrant mitoses of spermatogenic epithelium cells, increased sperm count with fragmented DNA, lower percentage of the impregnated females. If the exposure combined with stress, spermatogenesis disorders are more marked, and preimplantation death rate of intact females' offspirngs becomes statistically significant.
Subject(s)
Aluminum/toxicity , Cadmium/toxicity , Reproduction/drug effects , Stress, Psychological/physiopathology , Aluminum/blood , Aluminum/pharmacokinetics , Animals , Brain/drug effects , Brain/metabolism , Cadmium/blood , Cadmium/pharmacokinetics , Chromosome Aberrations/chemically induced , Corticosterone/blood , DNA Fragmentation/drug effects , Embryo Loss/chemically induced , Embryo Loss/genetics , Female , Male , Pregnancy , Rats , Rats, Wistar , Restraint, Physical , Spermatogenesis/drug effects , Spermatozoa/drug effects , Spermatozoa/metabolism , Spermatozoa/pathology , Stress, Psychological/metabolism , Stress, Psychological/pathology , Testis/drug effects , Testis/metabolism , Testis/pathologyABSTRACT
The evaluation of the isolated and combined effects of aluminum and immobilization stress on the reproductive system of male laboratory rats has been performed. We have established the influence of these factors on spermatogenesis and spermiogenesis: the development of degenerative processes in the testes, on specific hormonal status, apoptosis, increasing abnormal forms of epididymal sperms and reducing their mobility, and on the growth of early embryonic losses. Neither synergistic nor antagonistic effect in the combined aluminum and the stress action has been found.