No abstract

Cypermethrin is a widely used insecticide belongs to type II pyrethroids. It is highly used in developing countries to control many species of insects as it plays an important role in pest control. Vitamin C is an important intracellular antioxidant against insecticides. The aim of the present study is to analyze the toxic effects of cypermethrin (CYP) and the positive effect of vitamin C (VC) with graded doses (0 CYP, 200 VC, 12 CYP and 12 CYP+200 VC mg/kg body weight of male rats/day) for 30 days on liver and kidney functions. Moreover, antioxidant enzymes, oxidative stress markers, glycogen and glucose levels and also serum lipid profile were studied. Also, this study aimed to evaluate the possible protective role of vitamin C against cypermethrin toxicity

In the recent decades, many environmental pollutants have received significant attention due to their potential ability to mimic the actions of endogenous estrogens. These pollutants are referred as environmental estrogens and are suspected of causing health effects in both humans and wildlife through disruption of the endocrine system and causing male reproductive dysfunction, thus they are classified as endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) such as phenolic metabolites. To monitor general toxicity of this class of EDCs, embryos of zebrafish were exposed to gradual concentrations of 2-OH-BDE 123 (hydroxybrominated diphenyl ethers). Exposures were done by immersion of 1 hour post fertilization (hpf) zebrafish eggs to 72 hpf, nominal concentration range of 0.03 : 2.5 μM. Embryos/ larvae were assessed daily for death and structural defects. Results revealed that concentrations from 0.3 μM of such metabolites were toxic to the developing zebrafish causing serious morphological alterations and internal deformations. Both toxicity incidence and potency were correlated with the concentration applied. In conclusion, these compounds induced several teratogenic effects. More studies are required for a proper risk assessment and more attention should be given to this class of chemicals in the aquatic environment.