Cadmium necrosis in transplanted testicles as evidence for persistence of original vessels in the graft.

The testicles of newborn rats were transplanted subcutaneously to the external ears of mature male rats. Four and 8 weeks later the hosts received a subtoxic dose of cadmium chloride. Forty-eight hours thereafter focal, but evidently cadmium-induced necroses occurred in the grafts. As is the generally acknowledged, the tissue selectively sensitive to cadmium is the original endothelium of testicular vessels. Therefore the results of the study can be summarized as follows: 1) In the transplanted testicles the original vessels and their endothelium survive for at least 8 weeks. 2) Under the experimental conditions used here, the original vasculature of the graft joins with the vascular system of the host.