ABSTRACT
Cypermethrin is the most widely used Type II pyrethroid pesticide in India because of its high efficacy against target species, and its reportedly low mammalian toxicity. It is a fast-acting neurotoxin and is known to cause free radical-mediated tissue damage. This paper is an attempt at estimating its toxicity in rats at a molecular level. Following exposure to oral, sublethal doses (41 mg/kg bw) of cypermethrin as single dose, double dose, and multiple dose with 48 h interval, the various profiles of protein metabolism were studied in different groups of rat muscle tissue. Total proteins showed decrement, whereas free amino acids, and the activity of protease, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase and glutamate dehydrogenase as well as ammonia significantly increased in cypermethrin-exposed rats. Urea content increase at all doses of exposure was not statistically significant. These effects on the protein metabolism of rats exposed to cypermethrin, which cause impairment of protein synthetic machinery, indicate its toxic effects on cellular functioning.