Ultrastructural analysis of cadmium-induced toxicity and its alleviation by antioxidant quercetin in caprine testicular germ cells in vitro

Abstract

ABSTRACT Increasing evidence has demonstrated that cadmium (Cd), a common environmental toxicant, has been associated with testicular toxicity. Quercetin, an efficient flavonoid, has been shown to exert cytoprotective effect in numerous pathological processes. The current study has employed ultrastructural analysis to examine the Cd-induced toxicity in goat testicular tissue along with the ameliorative action of quercetin in a dose- and time-dependent manner in-vitro. Results of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed that at lower selected concentrations (10 and 50 µM), Cd induced apoptosis-mediated cytotoxicity in testicular tissue as supported by presence of various morphological attributes of apoptosis in testicular germ cells such as condensed and marginated chromatin followed by breakdown of chromatin material, swollen mitochondria, and vacuolization. At 100 µM concentration, along with apoptosis, Cd-induced cytotoxicity in testicular tissue was associated with induction of necrosis also. However, the simultaneous supplementation of antioxidant quercetin has markedly abrogated the testicular cytotoxicity as shown by restoration of Cd-evoked aberrant ultrastructure of testicular germ cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner, providing a basis for future studies to involve quercetin in management of Cd-induced reproductive toxicity in males.