Testicular cyclic nucleotide and adrenal catecholamine metabolism following chronic exposure to cadmium

Cadmium (Cd) produces injurious effects on reproductive function and has been implicated in the pathogeneses of hypertension. The present article summarizes available data on alterations in the cyclic AMP system of testicular and prostatic tissue as well as in catecholamine metabolism in adrenal glands following exposure to Cd and subsequent withdrawal. Daily Cd (1 mg/kg IP) for 45 days decreased prostatic and testicular weights of mature male rats. In prostate, chronic treatment with Cd reduced cyclic AMP levels to 57% of normal values which appeared to be due to the decrease in adenylate cyclase activity since cyclic AMP metabolism by phosphodiesterase was not significantly altered. Cyclic AMP binding to prostatic protein kinase was increased following Cd administration as was the activity of the cyclic AMP-dependent form of protein kinase. In contrast to the prostate, testicular adenylate cyclase was stimulated by Cd treatment. However, the endogenous cyclic AMP levels remained unaffected since the increase in testicular adenylate cyclase was offset by a concomitant increase in the activity of phosphodiesterase. Although the activities of the cyclic AMP-dependent and the independent forms of testicular protein kinase were significantly depressed, the binding of cyclic AMP to protein kinase from testes of Cd-treated rats was not affected. Discontinuation of treatment for 28 days in rats that had previously been given the heavy metal for 45 days resulted in at least a partial reversal of several of the cadmium-induced changes in cyclic AMP metabolism of the rat prostate and testes. However, the weight of the prostate glands remained essentially in the same range as that seen in the "treated group."Data suggest that cyclic AMP metabolism in both the primary and the secondary reproductive organs is altered following chronic Cd treatment and that some changes persist even 28 days following the termination of daily exposure to the heavy metal.Cd treatment also increased adrenal weights and augmented the levels of adrenal norepinephrine and epinephrine as well as the activity of tyrosine hydroxylase. Discontinuation of the heavy metal treatment for 28 days, in rats previously injected with Cd for 45 days, restored the activity of tyrosine hydroxylase as well as the amount of norepinephrine and epinephrine. In contrast, adrenal weights were restored only partially following withdrawal of Cd treatment. Evidence indicates that the changes in adrenal catecholamine metabolism may be the result of stress induced by chronic exposure to this heavy metal. In addition, some of the untoward effects such as hyperglycemia and arterial hypertension seen during Cd toxicity might be related to increased synthesis of epinephrine in adrenal glands.