Abstract
Cadmium (Cd) and its compounds are highly toxic to virtually all organ systems of the mammals. Cd-induced testicular injuries have been reported in various animal species, using different protocols. The self-renewal capacity and the ability to generate different specialized cell types make the mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) one of the ideal choices for restoring tissue damages of various etiologies. The use of bone marrow-derived MSCs (BM-MSCs) is among the most recent strategies to repair the Cd-induced testicular damage, but empirical studies in this regard are largely missing. Keeping in view the CD-induced testicular damage and the suggested restorative functions of BM-MSCs, the objectives of the current study were twofold: to induce testicular injury in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats by a single intraperitoneal (i.p.) 2mg/kg Cd injection; and to study the reparative potential of BM-MSCs in Cd-induced testicular damage in adult male rats. The SD rats were randomly divided into three groups (n = 10 each): control (untreated), Cd-group (i.p. 2mg/kg Cd), and Cd+SC group (i.p. 2mg/kg Cd plus two intravenous doses of 1 × 106 BM-MSCs via penile vein). After four weeks, Cd-group showed a significantly lower (p < 0.05) weight-gain, sperm count, and sperm viability, as well as led to testicular atrophy, necrosis, fibrosis, calcification, and marked perivascular lymphocytic infiltration, as compared to the untreated controls. As hypothesized, the rats exposed to Cd, but treated with BM-MSCs (Cd+SC group), showed a lesser degree of Cd-induced damage. In conclusion, the findings of current investigation indicate a reversal of Cd-induced testicular injury by BM-MSCs. The study supports the previously suggested notion that BM-MSCs can repair the Cd-induced testes' damage in rats.