School of Life Science, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, 030006, Shanxi Province, China.
Department of Biomedical Science and Environmental Biology, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, 80424, Taiwan.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2020 May;27(14):16282-16292. doi: 10.1007/s11356-020-08074-y. Epub 2020 Mar 2.
Cadmium (Cd) is a highly harmful environmental contaminant, which can cause reproductive toxicity. Zinc (Zn) is an essential trance element that may protect the organism from the harmful effects of Cd. However, the mechanism of Zn against Cd-induced reproductive toxicity remained to be elucidated. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of subchronic exposure to Cd on the relative testis weight (RTW), the histopathology, the activity of stress marker antioxidant enzymes, the level of lipid peroxidation of testis, as well as the mitigative effects of Zn on Cd-induced reproductive toxicity in male freshwater crab Sinopotamon henanense. For this purpose, male crabs were divided into 10 groups including a control group (without metals) and metal exposure groups with Cd alone in three concentrations and Cd combined with Zn in six concentrations for 14 days. The results showed that Cd evoked concentration-dependent reproductive toxicity of male Sinopotamon henanense as showed by decreased RTW, appearance of morphological lesions, increased SOD, CAT, GPx activity, and MDA levels. Nevertheless, Zn combined with Cd exposure significantly alleviated Cd-induced reproductive toxicity as proved by increased RTW, reappearance of normal histological morphology, increased SOD activity, recovered CAT and GPx activity, and decreased MDA levels in testis. Our study demonstrated that the application of Zn can mitigate Cd-induced reproductive toxicity by ameliorating the testicular oxidative stress and improving the antioxidant status.
镉（Cd）是一种高度有害的环境污染物，可导致生殖毒性。锌（Zn）是一种必需的微量元素，可能保护机体免受 Cd 的有害影响。然而，Zn 对抗 Cd 诱导的生殖毒性的机制仍有待阐明。本研究旨在评估亚慢性暴露于 Cd 对相对睾丸重量（RTW）、组织病理学、应激标志物抗氧化酶活性、睾丸脂质过氧化水平的影响，以及 Zn 对雄性淡水蟹 Sinopotamon henanense 生殖毒性的缓解作用。为此，将雄性蟹分为 10 组，包括对照组（无金属）和单独 Cd 暴露组（3 个浓度）和 Cd 与 Zn 联合暴露组（6 个浓度），暴露时间为 14 天。结果表明，Cd 对雄性 Sinopotamon henanense 产生了浓度依赖性的生殖毒性，表现为 RTW 降低、形态损伤出现、SOD、CAT、GPx 活性增加和 MDA 水平升高。然而，Zn 与 Cd 联合暴露显著缓解了 Cd 诱导的生殖毒性，表现为 RTW 增加、组织学形态恢复正常、SOD 活性增加、CAT 和 GPx 活性恢复、以及 MDA 水平降低。本研究表明，Zn 的应用可以通过改善睾丸氧化应激和提高抗氧化状态来减轻 Cd 诱导的生殖毒性。
