Zinc acetate pretreatment ameliorates cisplatin-induced Sertoli cell dysfunction in Sprague-Dawley rats.

The present study was undertaken to determine if prior administration of zinc acetate (ZnAc) or copper sulfate (CuSO4) could prevent pituitary, Leydig, or Sertoli cell dysfunction subsequent to cisplatin administration in adult Sprague-Dawley rats. Animals were given cisplatin at a dose of 2 mg/kg daily for 5 days, with or without the i.p. administration of ZnAc (6 mg/kg per day) or CuSO4 (5 mg/kg per day), beginning 5 days prior to and continuing through the administration of cisplatin. Control animals were given vehicle, ZnAc1, or CuSO4. Animals were sacrificed 1 week after the initial cisplatin injection. Cisplatin administration resulted in suppressed serum luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels as well as a 77% reduction in serum testosterone and an 82% reduction in testicular testosterone. The concomitant administration of either ZnAc or CuSO4 did not result in a significant difference relative to animals receiving cisplatin alone, although administration of both cations alone significantly reduced testicular testosterone content. Serum androgen-binding protein (ABP) was not significantly lowered in any treatment group. There was a marked reduction of 57% in testicular ABP content relative to control values subsequent to cisplatin administration. This reduction was partially prevented by ZnAc treatment: the testicular ABP concentration was only 15% lower than that in controls (not significant). Since the cisplatin-induced reduction in serum FSH was not altered by ZnAc pretreatment, we conclude that the near normalization of testicular ABP content may be evidence of improved Sertoli cell function. In contrast, cisplatin-induced decreases in the serum gonadotropins and testicular androgens were not lessened by pretreatment with either cation. Further studies may be warranted to determine whether ZnAc pretreatment has a beneficial effect on spermatogenesis during cisplatin treatment.