Ebselen attenuates cadmium-induced testicular damage in mice

This study was designed to examine if ebselen, an organoselenium compound with antioxidant and glutathione peroxidase-mimetic properties, attenuates testicular injury caused by intraperitoneal administration of CdCl2. A number of toxicological parameters were evaluated in the testes of mice, such as δ-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (δ-ALA-D) activity, lipid peroxidation, ascorbic acid levels and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activities. Ebselen attenuated lipid peroxidation levels altered by CdCl2. δ-ALA-D activity inhibited by the highest dose of CdCl2 was attenuated by ebselen. A significant negative correlation between lipid peroxidation levels and δ-ALA-D activity was observed. Ebselen restored ascorbic acid levels reduced by CdCl2. A significant negative correlation between ascorbic acid levels and δ-ALA-D activity reinforces the idea that ebselen attenuated the damage induced by CdCl2 via its antioxidant property. The significant correlation between ALT and δ-ALA-D activity supports the assumption that ebselen prevented damage caused by CdCl2. The results show that ebselen attenuated oxidative stress, a process important for CdCl2 toxicity. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.