Asian Journal of Research in Biology

Cadmium (Cd) is a persistent environmental pollutant known to impair male reproductive function following bioaccumulation. This study evaluated the histopathological and morphometric effects of acute cadmium exposure on the testes of adult Syrian golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus). Animals (n = 5 per group, with each group assessed in triplicate) received intraperitoneal cadmium chloride at 0.5, 1.0, or 2.0 mg/kg body weight for 10 consecutive days; control animals received saline. Histological examination revealed dose-dependent seminiferous tubule degeneration, pyknotic nuclei, germ-cell exfoliation, luminal cellular debris, widening of the interstitial spaces, epithelial thinning, and reduced luminal spermatozoal density, with the most severe changes observed at 2.0 mg/kg. Morphometric analysis using ImageJ corroborated these findings: seminiferous tubule area decreased from 579,418.6 ± 35,325.6 µm² in the control group to 389,477.6 ± 53,283.5 and 294,111.8 ± 52,149.5 µm² in the low- and high-dose groups, respectively (P < 0.05); tubule diameter decreased from 889.2 ± 62.8 to 615.2 ± 68.0 µm, and epithelial height decreased from 292.2 ± 49.6 to 140.0 ± 25.5 µm, with significant reductions only at the high dose; the spermatogonia count decreased from 381.4 ± 21.1 to 249.4 ± 31.6, 226.8 ± 22.3, and 140.2 ± 25.3 across the treated groups (P < 0.05). These findings indicate progressive, dose-related disruption of testicular architecture and spermatogenesis and support the suitability of the Syrian golden hamster as a model for heavy-metal-induced reproductive toxicity.