Pyrimac® (Chlorpyrifos), a commonly used pesticide, altera structural integrity of epididymal epithelium and epididymal sperm functions in rats.

Abstract

Chlorpyrifos is a known biological toxicant and is widely used in agriculture. Effects of Chlorpyrifos on epididymal sperm structure and function was studied. Wistar rats (1 1 = 12 each group) were given oral doses of 0.6 (Tl), 0.25 (T2); or 0.125 (T3) mg/body weight Kg Chlorpyrifos or distilled water daily for 14 days. Epididymal morphology and sperm parameters were studied on the day 1 5lh post treatment. Epididymal weight of Chlorpyrifos treated groups increased but total sperm count decreased significantly (P < 0.05) in the distal regions of the epididymis in comparison to those in the controls. Highly motile sperm number showed a significant (P < 0.05) reduction in the distal regions of the epididymis in all the treated groups. Tail abnormalities were significantly increased in treatment groups in comparison to the control. Significantly high pre-implantation loss was observed in females mated with the T3 group males. In the T3 group, distal cauda epididymal epithelium microvilli were completely absent. Present study confirms that epididymal epithelial structure is altered due to low exposure of Chlorpyrifos. Chlorpyrifos exposure interferes with epididymal structure significantly affecting epididymal functions in rats.