Parametros reprodutivos masculinos e fertilidade de ratos adultos expostos ao inseticida fenvalerato

Abstract

Fenvalerate is a synthetic pyrethroid insecticide widely used in agriculture to control a variety of insects. Although it is considered to be of low acute toxicity to mammals, studies have showed that pyrethroids can have estrogenic activity and can act as endocrine disruptors, causing important reproductive impairment in males. It is documented in the literature that the exposure of pregnant rats to fenvalerate decreased plasma testosterone levels and weights of seminal vesicle and vas deferens in male pups during adult life, besides alterations in their sexual behavior. It was also observed that adult rats exposed to formulated fenvalerate, by inhalation, exhibited a significant reduction in the testis weight and epididymal sperm count. Little is known about the mechanisms by which fenvalerate exerts its action on reproduction; thus, the objective of the present study was to investigate the estrogenic activity and the effects of fenvalerate on the reproductive system and fertility of adult male rats. For this, adult male rats (aged 90 days) received, for 30 consecutive days, by oral gavage, 40 mg/kg/day of fenvalerate (technical grade;Reproductive toxicity of the pyrethroid insecticide fenvalerate on adult male rats