ABSTRACT The present study was conducted to evaluate the reproductive risk associated with exposure of adult male rats to ubiquitous environmental toxicants cadmium and diazinon. A total of 40 Wistar rats were randomized into 4 groups of 10 animals each and intraperitoneally injected with physiological solution (control group), cadmium (2 mg/kg body wt), diazinon (20 mg/kg body wt) separately and in combination. 36 hours after administration, significant alterations in testis weight in diazinon and cadmium-diazinon animals while only slight decline in testicular weight in cadmium treated group were observed. The morphometric data supported histopathological disorders in seminiferous tubules resulting in tubular degeneration and spermatogenic damage with significant reduction in seminiferous epithelial volume and significant enlargement of interstitial volume in all experimental groups. A significantly diminished diameter of seminiferous tubules and significantly decreased tubule lumen filled with detached germ cells from disarranged epithelial layers confirmed tubule constrictions. Experimental exposure caused oedema and haemorrhage in interstitium as a consequence of blood vessels damage and dilatation. Results did not indicate synergistic or additional effect of simultaneous administration of cadmium and diazinon to the rat testis. Further research would be necessary to clarify the effects of cadmium-diazinon interactions on male reproduction health.
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