Lindane alters the levels of HSP70 and clusterin in adult rat testis

Lindane, an organochlorine pesticide, has been reported to induce reproductive abnormalities in male rats and induction of stress is considered to play an important role in the toxicity of lindane. To get more insight into the mechanism(s) involved in gonadal effect(s) of lindane, we sought to investigate whether treatment with lindane would alter the levels of stress proteins (heat shock proteins and clusterin) and change oxidative stress-related parameters (antioxidant enzymes and lipid peroxidation) in the testis of adult male rats. Animals used for experimentation were divided into six groups and four animals were maintained in each group. Animals were administered with a single dose of lindane (5 mg/kg body weight) and terminated at specific post-treatment intervals (0, 3, 6, 12, 24 and 72 h) to analyze the early stress response. Administration of lindane resulted in a sequential reduction in the activities of catalase and superoxide dismutase (SOD) with concomitant increase in the levels of lipid peroxidation. These changes elicited by lindane were significant between 6 and 24 h post-treatment. In case of heat shock protein, the level of the constitutive HSP70 remained constant at all post-treatment intervals. However, a significant induction in the level of inducible HSP70 was observed between 6 and 24 h post-treatment. Similarly, the levels of secretory clusterin (sCLU) was found be significantly elevated at 12 and 24 h after treatment. These findings indicate a transitory state of stress induced by lindane in rat testis accompanied by an alteration in the levels of stress proteins, which could be a part of protective mechanism mounted to reduce cellular damage.