Assessing the Risks of Pesticide Exposure: Implications for Endocrine Disruption and Male Fertility

Abstract

Pesticides serve as essential tools in agriculture and public health, aiding in pest control and disease management. However, their widespread use has prompted concerns regarding their adverse effects on humans and animals. This review offers a comprehensive examination of the toxicity profile of pesticides, focusing on their detrimental impacts on the nervous, hepatic, cardiac, and pulmonary systems, and their impact on reproductive functions. Additionally, it discusses how pesticides mimic hormones, thereby inducing dysfunction in the endocrine system. Pesticides disrupt the endocrine system, leading to neurological impairments, hepatocellular abnormalities, cardiac dysfunction, and respiratory issues. Furthermore, they also exert adverse effects on reproductive organs, disrupting hormone levels and causing reproductive dysfunction. Mechanistically, pesticides interfere with neurotransmitter function, enzyme activity, and hormone regulation. This review highlights the effects of pesticides on male reproduction, particularly sperm capacitation, the process wherein ejaculated sperm undergo physiological changes within the female reproductive tract, acquiring the ability to fertilize an oocyte. Pesticides have been reported to inhibit the morphological changes crucial for sperm capacitation, resulting in poor sperm capacitation and eventual male infertility. Understanding the toxic effects of pesticides is crucial for mitigating their impact on human and animal health, and in guiding future research endeavors.