Maternal exposure to trace cadmium affects gonadal differentiation and development in male offspring rats though a star pathway

Abstract

To investigate effect and mechanism of maternal exposure to trace cadmium on the differentiation and development in testis of male offspring rats. Thirty-two pregnant female SD rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: CdCl2 treated group (group A) was intraperitoneally injected with CdCl2 (1.5 mg/kg.d); DES group(group B) was subcutaneously injected with DES (100 μg/kg.d); CdCl2 +TMX group(group C) was treated with CdCl2 (same as above)+TMX (50 mg/kg.d); control group (group D) was treated with the same dose normal saline instead of CdCl2. On day 30th after parturition, the weight and sex ratio of off-spring male rats were recorded; Offspring testes were used for ultrastructural observation. Ultrastructural changes including swollen mitochondria and expanded endoplasmic reticulum in Sertoli cells, gonocyte and Leydig cells, moreover, lipid droplets cumulated in Leydig cells were observed in group A and group B, and so changes in group C were slightly more than those in group A or group B. The expression of StAR and inhibin-B in Leydig cells decreased significantly in group A and group B (p < 0.05), but there were no difference between group C and group D (P > 0.05). Cadmium has similar effect as estrogen which would affect gonadal differentiation and development in male fetal rats.