Glyphosate is the most widely used herbicide in the world. Although some studies have shown cardiac electrophysiological changes associated to glyphosate, the histopathological changes that this herbicide may cause in the cardiovascular system are not yet established. The aim of this study was to evaluate the cardiovascular effects of subchronic oral and inhalation exposure to the glyphosate herbicide in rats. Eighty albino Wistar rats were distributed into eight groups (five males and five females/group): inhalation control: nebulization with sodium chloride solution (NaCl); oral control: nebulized feed with NaCl; low inhalation concentration: nebulization with 3.71 × 10−3 grams of active ingredient per hectare (g.a.i./ha) of glyphosate; low oral concentration: nebulized feed with 3.71 × 10−3 g.a.i./ha of glyphosate; medium inhalation concentration: nebulization with 6.19 × 10−3 g.a.i./ha of glyphosate; medium oral concentration: nebulized feed with 6.19 × 10−3 g.a.i./ha of glyphosate; high inhalation concentration: nebulization with 9.28 × 10−3 g.a.i./ha of glyphosate; and high oral concentration: nebulized feed with 9.28 × 10−3 g.a.i./ha of glyphosate. After 75 days of exposure, the animals were euthanized, and aortas and hearts were collected for histopathological analysis. Fatty streaks were observed in most animals exposed to glyphosate and were more prevalent in male rats, regardless of the route of exposure ( p < 0.05). There were no differences in the measurements of the thickness of the right and left ventricle or in the collagen density of both ventricles in any of the groups evaluated ( p > 0.05). Our study suggests that glyphosate has atherogenic potential, regardless of the concentration and route of exposure.
The described neurological symptoms associated with pesticide exposure include memory and concentration problems. Most experimental studies of the association between dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and neurotoxicity have focused on brain development, and few have been conducted in adult animals. The aim of this study was to assess whether chronic oral or inhalation exposure to 2,4-D affects object recognition memory in adult rats. Forty albino Wistar rats were used and distributed into 4 groups (n = 10): I: animals nebulized with distilled water; O: animals receiving feed treated with nebulized distilled water; DI: animals nebulized with 9.28 x 10-3 grams of active ingredient per hectare (g.a.i./ha) of 2,4-D; and DO: animals receiving feed treated with 9.28 x 10-3 g.a.i./ha of nebulized 2,4-D. The animals were exposed for 6 months. To assess recognition memory, the object recognition test was used. Compared to control animals, animals exposed to 2,4-D spent less time exploring objects (p <0.05) and obtained an object recognition index score of -1. Route of exposure to 2,4-D had an effect only on the time spent exploring objects, which was shorter in animals exposed orally. Chronic exposure to a high concentration of 2,4-D alters the ability of adult animals to recognize objects.
Cigarette smoke in large centers is one of the most important causes of chronic inflammatory diseases in public health and is associated with a decrease in bone mass, consolidation process, and bone remodeling. Due to their ability to improve intestinal absorption and compete with pathogenic microorganisms, dietary supplementation with functional foods may contribute to improvement in bone quality. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of functional, probiotic, prebiotic, or symbiotic food supplementation on mineral composition, histomorphometry, and bone biomechanical properties of rats in the growth phase, chronically exposed to cigarette smoke (T).Sixty-four young male rats were randomly assigned to eight groups (n=8): control (C) [standard diet (SD)]; probiotic (Pro) [SD + probiotic (Lactobacillus acidophilus, Enterococcus faecium, Bifidobacterium thermophilum and Bifidobacterium longum) (2-5 109 UFC each)]; prebiotic (Pre) [SD+ prebiotic (mannan oligosaccharide)]; symbiotic (Sym) (SD + probiotic + prebiotic); control smoking (SC) [(SD + exposure protocol to passive smoking (PS)]; probiotic smoking (ProS) (SD + probiotic + PS); prebiotic smoking (PreS) (SD + prebiotic + PS), and symbiotic smoking (SymS)(SD + prebiotic + probiotic + PS). The animals were euthanized after 189 days of the experimental protocol. Results showed that supplementation with probiotics, prebiotics, and symbiotics significantly improved (P<0.05) the parameters: P, Ca, Mg, BMD, BMC, strength, resilience, and size of area of the femoral diaphysis of the animals chronically exposed or not cigarette smoke. We concluded that functional food supplementation improved the bone health of rats chronically exposed or not to cigarette smoke.
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