Reproductive and Endocrinological Features of Male Rats after Treatment with Cadmium Chloride

Abstract
Single s.c. injection of 1 or 5 mg CdCl2 to adult male rats resulted in a significant reduction in the weights of the testis, epididymidis, vas deferens, ventral prostate and seminal vesicles. Sperm population in the vas deferens, caput and cauda epididymidis was severely reduced. Sexual drive and fertility were not changed 7 or 15 days after treatment with 1 mg CdCl2; however, conditions ranging from a loss of libido to total sterility were encountered in animals receiving 5 mg CdCl2. The circulating testosterone and 5.alpha.-dihydrotestosterone were suppressed whereas androstenedione concentration remained unaltered. CdCl2 appears to not only affect spermatogenesis but also to inhibit androgen production.