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Abstract
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Background With the advent of rapid industrialization, several chemicals are released in the air, water and soil. Chemical elements play a crucial role in male reproduction. Heavy metals exposure can adversely affect male fertility and result in severe impairment of testicular functions including germ cell death and inhibition of testicular steroidogenesis. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the concentrations of Zn, Cu, Fe, Pb, and Cd in the tissue of ram epididymal and serum testosterone. Materials and methods Samples were taken from 45 ram in Hamadan. Concentrations of zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), Cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) in epididymal tissue by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) were measured. Serum concentration of testosterone was measured by enzyme linked fluorescent assay (ELFA) method. The datas were analysed by SAS software. The level of significance was set at P<0.01 and P<0.05. Results Analysis by FAAS showed that mean concentrations of zinc, copper, iron, cadmium, and lead in samples were 184.11, 18.93, 110.06, 0.05, and 3.53 (μg/g), respectively. The mean level of Serum concentrations of testosterone in the study samples was 1.63 ng/ml. In our study, the correlation analysis revealed a high positive correlation between zinc and testosterone concentration (r=0.460) and also positive correlation between lead and testosterone concentration (r=0.360). Conclusion Heavy metals disrupt hormone production and action in the mammalian testes. Lead effects on spermatogenesis, steroidogenesis, and red-ox system. It has been shown that Zn supplementation increases serum testosterone levels. According to this study, it was concluded that Zn and Pb have positive correlation with testosterone. It should always consider the impact of metals on reproductive hormones.
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