Long term oral administration of a mixture of pyrethroids affects reproductive function in rats

Pyrethroid toxicity using dosages that are relevant to the human settings are not reported. Male Wistar rats were treated for 9 or 12 months daily with a mixture of pyrethroids equivalent to a fifth or a twenty-fifth of that is present in cereals and vegetables consumed by an average Indian adult. Altered oxidant and antioxidant status, severe anatomical damage in the testis, caput, cauda, prostate, liver, lung and kidney and increased serum SGPT, SGOT and ALP activity was evident in all the treatment groups. Decreased levels of 3β- and 17β-HSD activity, litter size and impaired acrosome reaction was observed in all the treatment groups. To the best of our knowledge, for the first time, we demonstrate that exposure to even very low levels of pyrethroids (relevant to human consumption) for longer durations could cause damage to tissues that are important in general and male reproductive physiology.