Cadmium (Cd) is a toxic heavy metal with no known biological functions in the human body. Due to a considerably long biological half‐life and very low rate of excretion, accumulation of Cd in different body organs (eg, liver, kidney, and testes) over time is associated with perturbed functioning of these organs. Recent studies have shown the extreme sensitivity of the testes to Cd toxicity. In testes, Cd has been reported to induce oxidative stress, apoptosis of spermatogenic cells, reduction in androgen production and sperm functions. Moreover, Cd in combination with other environmental toxicants may be responsible for the declining fertility of males in both animals and humans. Pinpointing how Cd toxicity affects various testicular processes will be imperative for the development of preventative measures to promote fertility among males. Therefore, in the present review, we summarize the recent findings related to the Cd‐induced oxidative toxicity, apoptotic toxicity, steroidogenic toxicity, and spermatotoxicity, along with their possible mechanisms in testicular tissue of different animal species. In addition, the utilization of various antioxidant compounds, medicinal plants and other compounds for the management of Cd toxicity in testes is discussed.

中文翻译：

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镉作为睾丸毒物：综述。

镉 (Cd) 是一种有毒的重金属，在人体内没有已知的生物学功能。由于相当长的生物半衰期和极低的排泄率，随着时间的推移，Cd 在不同身体器官（如肝脏、肾脏和睾丸）中的积累与这些器官的功能紊乱有关。最近的研究表明睾丸对 Cd 毒性极其敏感。在睾丸中，据报道，Cd 可诱导氧化应激、生精细胞凋亡、雄激素产生和精子功能减少。此外，Cd 与其他环境毒物的结合可能是导致动物和人类雄性生育力下降的原因。确定 Cd 毒性如何影响各种睾丸过程对于制定预防措施以促进男性生育能力至关重要。因此，在本综述中，我们总结了最近有关 Cd 诱导的氧化毒性、凋亡毒性、类固醇生成毒性和精子毒性的发现，以及它们在不同动物物种睾丸组织中的可能机制。此外，还讨论了使用各种抗氧化化合物、药用植物和其他化合物来控制睾丸中的 Cd 毒性。