Persistent developmental toxicity in rat offspring after low dose exposure to a mixture of endocrine disrupting pesticides.
There is growing concern of permanent damage to the endocrine and nervous systems after developmental exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals. In this study the permanent reproductive and neurobehavioral effects of combined exposure to five endocrine disrupting pesticides, epoxiconazole, mancozeb, prochloraz, tebuconazole and procymidone, were examined. Pregnant and lactating rat dams were dosed with a mixture of the five pesticides at three different doses, or with the individual pesticides at one of two doses. Adverse effects were observed in young and adult male offspring from the group exposed to the highest dose of the mixture. These included reduced prostate and epididymis weights, increased testes weights, altered prostate histopathology, increased density of mammary glands, reduced sperm counts, and decreased spatial learning. As no significant effects were seen following single compound exposure at the doses included in the highest mixture dose, these results indicate cumulative adverse effects of the pesticide mixture.
National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Mørkhøj Bygade 19, DK-2860 Søborg, Denmark.
Pernille Rosenskjold
PR
Jacobsen
Marta
M
Axelstad
Julie
J
Boberg
Louise Krag
LK
Isling
Sofie
S
Christiansen
Karen Riiber
KR
Mandrup
Line Olrik
LO
Berthelsen
Anne Marie
AM
Vinggaard
Ulla
U
Hass
D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D001643:Bridged Bicyclo Compounds / Q000633:toxicity; D004347:Drug Interactions; D052244:Endocrine Disruptors / Q000633:toxicity*; D004852:Epoxy Compounds / Q000633:toxicity; D005260:Female; D005837:Genitalia, Male / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development; D007093:Imidazoles / Q000633:toxicity; D007858:Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D008321:Mammary Glands, Animal / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development; D008344:Maneb / Q000633:toxicity; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013076:Sperm Count; D014230:Triazoles / Q000633:toxicity; D015038:Zineb / Q000633:toxicity
D001643:Bridged Bicyclo Compounds; D052244:Endocrine Disruptors; D004852:Epoxy Compounds; D007093:Imidazoles; D014230:Triazoles; D008344:Maneb; C087114:tebuconazole; C045362:prochloraz; C035988:procymidone; C013099:mancozeb; C109476:epoxiconazole; D015038:Zineb