Steroids in the Blood Serum and Testes of Cadmium Chloride Treated Hamsters

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Abstract
Cadmium chloride (CdCl2) given s.c. as a single injection of 1 mg/hamster significantly reduced the weights of the testes and epididymides 7 days after treatment. A suppression of testosterone (T), 5α-dihydrotestosterone (5α-DHT), androstenedione (Δ4A) and progesterone (Δ4P) in the blood serum and a marked decrease of these steroid contents in the testicular tissue were observed. Furthermore, the in vitro release of T, 5α-DHT, Δ4A and Δ4P by the decapsulated testis mince also was significantly reduced. A single injection of 1 mg CdCl2 appeared to have a drastic deleterious effect on the steroidogenic fraction of the testis.