Protection of metallothionein on the peroxidative injury in testis induced by cadmium
Xu, L.; Wang, S.; Zhao, R.; Yang, X.
Wei Sheng Yan Jiu 29(2): 78-79
2000
ISSN/ISBN: 1000-8020 PMID: 12725079 Document Number: 513206
In order to study the protection effect of metallothionein (MT) on peroxidative injury in testis induced by cadmium and to detect the mechanism of reproduction toxicity of cadmium, the SD rats were injected intraperitoneally with different doses of cadmium (0.2, 0.4 and 0.8 mg/kg BW) for 7 days. The content of MT, the activities of antioxidases and the content of malondialdehyde(MDA) in testis were detected. The results showed that the increase of MT content in the low dose group was not obvious. MT content increased significantly in the 0.4 mg/kg BW group, while decreased in the 0.8 mg/kg BW group. There was a significant reduction of the activities of superoxide dismutase(SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) in the high dose group. The content of MDA did not change obviously in the low and middle dose groups, but increased significantly in the high dose group. It was concluded that MT might play an important role in protecting testis from oxidative damage. The toxicity of cadmium on male reproduction might be related to the unbalance of anti-oxidation system including MT.