Copper Induced Changes in Testis and Adrenal Cortex of Albino Rats

Though copper is an important trace element, abnormal rise in plasma copper level can produce adverse effects during occupational exposure to copper of different industrial workers in the present industrialized era. This book describes the detailed dose and duration dependent effects of copper on testicular and adrenocortical functions of albino rats. It also sheds some light on reversibility of the effects and the role of different hormonal supplementations on protecting the copper induced reproductive dysfunction. In studying the effects on male reproductive activities, the chronic effects of this metal on Hypothalamo-Pituitary-Testicular (HPT) and Hypothalamo-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis were determined and thereby it can be considered as a source of social stressor causing abnormal gonadal function. Experiments on immature rats provided a completely new finding of a stimulatory role of this metal on reproduction. Thus the findings would be useful to professionals, clinicians,researchers & students of reproductive toxicology and others with interest in studies of stress induced reproductive dysfunction involving adrenal-gonadal interactions.