The Acute Toxicological Effects of Paraquat on Male Reproductive Hormones (Testosterone, Luteinizing Hormone and Follicle Stimulating Hormone) of Intoxicated Rats
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37591/rrjot.v5i3.1321Abstract
Paraquat (PQ) a contact herbicide widely used to control weeds in agricultural, recreational, or industrial sites has been linked in various studies as a contributory agent to high male infertility in regions of most use. The current study investigated the acute toxicity effect of PQ administered intraperitoneal (ip.) on reproductive hormones; luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and testosterone (Te) of male rats. 24 rats, grouped four per group (A–F) were singularly administered different doses of PQ (0, 0.09, 0.18, 0.35, 0.70 and 1.00 g/kg BW) respectively. The animals were closely observed within 24 h for signs of toxicity, including death. The time of onset of such signs were noted and recorded against the dose levels, from where the median lethal dose (LD50) were calculated, and at near-death state 4 ml of blood samples were collected using cardiac procedures. The samples were processed and analyzed for sex hormones: LH, FSH and Te. The results obtained indicated that the LD50 of PQ was 0.45 g/Kg, classified as moderately toxic to the rats. The onset-time of symptoms (pallor, sedation, respiratory distress, convulsion, coma and death) decreased with increase in dose, while the severity of symptoms increased with increase in dose given, with the dead animals presenting at dose 0.18 g/Kg BW (group C) and increasing in number till dose 1.00 g/Kg BW (group F). Paraquat at dose level 0.09 to 1.00 g/kg BW caused significant, dose dependent, decreases in the mean levels of LH and Te (P≤0.001) with no observable significant change noted on the mean FSH levels (P≥0.001). These effects were suggestive of possibly sterility action of PQ on the rat. From the results, it is obvious that caution should be applied when handling PQ or any other related chemical to preclude possible deleterious effects of paraquat on male fertility.
Keywords: Paraquat, acute, toxicity, sex hormones, male rats
Cite this Article
Okolonkwo BN. The Acute Toxicological Effects of Paraquat on Male Reproductive Hormones (Testosterone, Luteinizing Hormone and Follicle Stimulating Hormone) of Intoxicated Rats. Research and Reviews: Journal of Toxicology. 2015; 5(3): 13–16p.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Declaration and Copyright Transfer Form
(to be completed by authors)
I/ We, the undersigned author(s) of the submitted manuscript, hereby declare, that the above manuscript which is submitted for publication in the STM Journals(s), is not published already in part or whole (except in the form of abstract) in any journal or magazine for private or public circulation, and, is not under consideration of publication elsewhere.
- I/We will not withdraw the manuscript after 1 week of submission as I have read the Author Guidelines and will adhere to the guidelines.
- I/We Author(s ) have niether given nor will give this manuscript elsewhere for publishing after submitting in STM Journal(s).
- I/ We have read the original version of the manuscript and am/ are responsible for the thought contents embodied in it. The work dealt in the manuscript is my/ our own, and my/ our individual contribution to this work is significant enough to qualify for authorship.
- I/We also agree to the authorship of the article in the following order:
Author’s name
1. ________________
2. ________________
3. ________________
4. ________________
| We Author(s) tick this box and would request you to consider it as our signature as we agree to the terms of this Copyright Notice, which will apply to this submission if and when it is published by this journal. |
