Comparative Study of Interstitial Cell Tumors of Rat Testis Induced by Cadmium Injection and Vascular Ligation2

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Abstract
A single subcutaneous injection of cadmium salts caused selective acute injury to the vasculature of the rat testis, the internal spermatic artery and its branches, and the pampiniform plexus, leaving untouched the deferential (vasal) vessels accompanying the vas deferens. Total necrosis resulted, but interstitial tissue in time regenerated and resulted in interstitial cell tumor (ICT) formation. ICT also occurred in rats after ligation of the blood vessels of the testis, the internal spermatic artery, and pampiniform plexus, either alone or in combination with ligation of the vas deferens and vasal vessels. Since cadmium injury produces, in a sense, a “selective chemical ligation” of the testicular vasculature, a comparison was made between the ICT resulting from total vascular ligation (spermatic plus vasal vessels), partial vascular ligation (spermatic vessels only), and cadmium injection. The incidence of ICT formation varied from 68 to 91 percent 1 year after surgical vascular ligation or cadmium injection; there was no significant difference between the various tumor-induction methods with regard to the incidence of ICT. Although by routine staining methods the ICT's formed by the three tumor-induction methods studied were indistinguishable morphologically, they did exhibit different endocrine characteristics. Androgenic activity, as indicated by the capacity of the dorsolateral prostate to take up Zn65, was significantly lower in rats with total vascular ligation than in rats with partial vascular ligation or cadmium injection. In all experimental groups, the androgenic activity was significantly lower than in intact controls. Although zinc was known to prevent the formation of ICT induced by cadmium, it did not alter the development of ICT induced by either partial or total vascular ligation.