Objectives. The role of free radicals as mediators of ischemic injury
to the testicle has been the subject of much investigation. We studied
whether the testicular damage induced in the rat by cadmium chloride
(CdCl2) can be prevented by administration of free-radical scavengers.
Methods. Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 45) were divided into 9 groups as f
ollows: a negative control group; two positive control groups, one of
which received injection of 1 mg/kg body weight of CdCl2 and the other
4 mg/kg body weight; and six cotreatment groups, each of which underw
ent one of these three procedures but was concurrently treated with he
parin, oxypurinol, or superoxide dismutase (SOD). The damage was asses
sed by measurement of testicular weight, lactate dehydrogenase-X (LDH-
X) activity, and histology. Results. Testicular weight decreased signi
ficantly in the positive control groups (P <0.05) compared to the nega
tive control group, whereas testicular weight in oxypurinol or SOD cot
reatment groups did not decrease significantly with the exception of t
hose rats given the higher dose of CdCl2. The results were similar wit
h regard to testicular LDH-X activity and histology. Conclusions. Thes
e findings suggest that CdCl2 induces impairment of testicular functio
n and causes a marked reduction in testicular LDH-X activity; that LDH
-X activity is a biological marker of testicular damage; and that, exc
ept at high doses of CdCl2, this damage can be prevented by oxypurinol
or SOD. (C) 1997, Elsevier Science inc. All rights reserved.