Table 2.

Cadmium effects on testicular cells in vitro

In vitro model	Observation(s) after Cd exposure	References
Primary rat Sertoli cell cultures	Low dose: impairment of development and maintenance of TJ-permeability barrier;	(Janecki et al., 1992; Chung and Cheng, 2001)
	Decrease in uPA and occludin expression, testosterone can lessen Cd-induced TJ-barrier damage;	(Chung and Cheng, 2001)
	High dose: decreases in inhibin secretion and cell viability; cell death;	(Janecki et al., 1992)
	Cell vacuolization and pyknosis, cells became round and then detached from the substratum;	(Syed et al., 1997)
	Redistribution of FAK, occludin and ZO-1, decrease in TJ integral membrane proteins, activation of p38 MAPK	(Siu and Cheng, unpublished observations)
Rat Sertoli cell line (ASC-D19) cultures	TJs disruption, apoptosis	(Sorenson and Brabec, 2003)
Primary rat Sertoli cells and primary rat Leydig cells cultures	Sertoli cells are more sensitive to Cd exposure than Leydig cells	(Clough et al., 1990)
Primary rat Sertoli cell-gonocyte cocultures	Morphological changes, decrease in cell viability, apoptosis associated with an increase in caspase-3/7-like activity, disruption of ubiquitin-dependent protein degradation, activation of SAPK, c-JNK and p38 MAPK	(Yu et al., 2008)
Primary rat Leydig cell cultures	Decrease in testosterone synthesis, increase in oxidative stress and cellular DNA damage, decrease in cell viability	(Yang et al., 2003)
Rat Leydig cell line (R2C) cultures	Cellular DNA damage	(Shiraishi et al., 1995)
Isolated rat Leydig cells	Cd uptake via passive and non-passive (carrier mediated or active transport or both) diffusion, with the latter being inhibited by Zn treatment Decrease in testosterone synthesis	(Waalkes, 2003) (Laskey and Phelps, 1991)