Abstract:

Cadmium (Cd) is a major heavy metal pollutant. It can enter and accumulate in human body by eating and breathing, which cause damages to various organs finally. The toxicity of Cd towards testis is extremely complicated and may result in male infertility. So many studies focus on identifying action targets of drugs by thoroughly investigating the mechanism of toxicity of Cd. This paper reviews the effects of Cd on connexins relevant to blood-testis barrier and signaling pathways that may involved.

Key words: cadmium, reproductive toxicity, blood-testis barrier, mitogen activated protein kinase