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© 1997 Oxford University Press

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Role of Testis Exposure Levels in the Insensitivity of Prepubertal Rats to Carbendazim-Induced Testicular Toxicity1

Junghee Lim and Marion G. Miller2

Department of Environmental Toxicology, University of California Davis, California 95616

Received December 3, 1996; accepted April 9, 1997

Our recent studies have indicated that benomyl (BNL)-induced testicular toxicity is mediated by its major metabolite carbendazim (CBZ). The present study has used CBZ to investigate hypotheses that could explain prepubertal insensitivity to BNL. When CBZ (164 mg/kg intraperitoneally) was administered to postpubertal and prepubertal rats, it caused little testicular damage in prepubertal rats, but in adult rats, sloughing of the seminiferous epithelium resulted. When the inhibitory effect of CBZ on prepubertal testicular microtubule assembly was compared with that on postpubertal assembly, the IC50 values were very similar. Pharmacokinetic studies revealed that blood levels of CBZ were comparable in the two age groups; however, higher levels of CBZ were found in the adult testes (210.52 nmol/g wet wt) in comparison with young testes (67.77 nmol/g wet wt). These data suggest that delivery to and/or retention of CBZ in the testis may play a role in the age-dependent differences in susceptibility to CBZ toxicity. When CBZ was administered intratesticularly to reach levels sufficient to cause damage, the young animals did show an increased incidence of vacuolization and detachment of the seminiferous epithelium; however, in contrast to the older animals, sloughing of the seminiferous epithelium was not observed in the prepubertal animals. Overall, the low levels of CBZ measured in the testes of prepubertal animals offer a partial explanation for the insensitivity of young animals to CBZ-induced testicular toxicity following intraperitoneal administration. A differential responsiveness between the two age groups is also likely, however, since prepubertal animals lack elongated spermatids and it is sloughing of this cell type that characterizes CBZ-induced testicular toxicity in the adult.


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