Reproductive Toxicity of Insecticides

Abstract

Pesticides include several classes such as insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, and have widespread usage in agriculture. Different type of pesticides and their combinations affect dairy animals through their lifetime and the livestock industry. Under chronic exposure conditions, hormonal and cellular systems of animals, which play a role in reproduction, are affected dramatically. Some of the insecticides act as endocrine disruptors and impair reproductive hormone metabolic pathways via the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis. Additionally, insecticides could have harmful effects on reproductive organs that may cause infertility. The aim of this chapter is review the toxic effects of insecticides on animal reproductive system focusing on molecular mechanisms.

Reproductive Toxicology: An Update

“…including reduced levels of testosterone [37]. Organochlorines such as dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), methoxychlor, chlordane, heptachlor, aldrin, endrin, and lindane are reported to cause oxidative stress within epididymis by decreasing antioxidant defense [38]. Endosulfan was found to cause irregular sperm maturation amongst farmers who employed this chemical into their fields.…”

“…oxidative stress induction in the follicle cells. Moreover, it induced the expressions of steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR), CYP19A1a and aromatase, causing improper ovarian maturation organochlorines (Table 7) [38].…”