Strain differences in susceptibility of mice and rats to cadmium-induced testicular damage.

The observations of Pa\l=r%v\\l=i'\zek& Zahor (1956) and Pa\l=r%v\\l=i'\zek(1957a, b) on the selective destructive effect of cadmium on the testis of the rat and mouse have since been confirmed by Meek (1959), Kar & Das (1960), Gunn, Gould & Anderson (1961), Allanson & Deanesly (1962), Chiquoine (1964), Mason, Brown, Young & Nesbit (1964) and others. During studies on the induction of interstitial cell tumours of the testis by cadmium (Gunn, Gould & Anderson, 1963), we noted that cadmium failed to cause any degree ofdamage to the testis of the BALB/c mouse. A study was, therefore, undertaken to determine if this resistance to cadmium-induced testicular injury was unique to the BALB/c strain of mice and whether strain differences in testicular response to cadmium might also be observed in rats. A single subcutaneous (interscapular) injection of 0\m=.\03m-mole/kg of CdCl2 was chosen for the preliminary testing since overwhelming testicular destruction, without other manifestations of acute toxicity, had been reported with this approximate dosage in both rats and mice (Pa\l=r%v\\l=i'\zek & Zahor, 1956; Pa\l=r%v\\l=i'\zek,1957a, b; Meek, 1959; Kar & Das, 1960; Gunn et al., 1961). Animals were killed 48 hr after the injection of cadmium. A total of 130 mature (8-week-old) male mice, composed ofeighteen different inbred strains and one random bred strain (CD-1, derived from HaM/ICR Swiss mice)\s=deg\were tested. Following the administration of CdCl2, necrosis was