The effect of orally administered cadmium on the ultrastructure of the rat prostate.

The effects of cadmium and nickel chloride, administered in drinking water at 5 and 50 ppm, on the rat prostate are described. Zinc concentrations in the two lobes of the gland were unaffected by the metals and no consistent changes were observed at the subcellular level by X-ray microanalysis. The ultrastructural appearance of the prostate gland in rats of varying ages was unaltered following cadmium administration at those levels, while plasma testosterone concentrations did not differ significantly in cadmium treated animals. Low levels of cadmium (less than 5 ppm) were accumulated by the ventral lobe of the prostate, although the metal was not detectable subcellularly. The results are discussed in relation to human prostatic carcinoma.