Cadmium exposure-induced oxidative stress; delay in sexual maturation and impaired hormones in developing rat ovary

Abstract

Dailiah P. Roopha, Padma C. Latha

Cadmium (Cd) is a common environmental pollutant by discharge from industrial processes. Cd one of the elements found to damage antioxidant systems in mammals. The major route of Cd exposure for the general population is oral intake. However, excess Cd exposure is associated with various pathological conditions including reproductive dysfunction. Cd can traverse the placental barrier and cause wide range of abnormalities in fetal development. Therefore, the present study was carried out to determine the toxic effects of lactational Cd exposure on ovary in developing female Wistar rats. Two different doses of cadmium (50 and 200 ppm) were given to Wistar rats aged 45 and 65 days. Specific activities of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) were estimated. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), lipid peroxidation (LPO) and serum gonadotropins viz luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) were also assayed. Specific activities of SOD, CAT, GPx, GR and GST were decreased while H2O2 and LPO increased. These results suggest that lactational Cd exposure induces oxidative stress in rat ovary by decreasing antioxidant enzymes, which were associated with delayed puberty and altered steroids and gonadotropin levels.