Teratogenic effects of dimethoate and carbosulfan insecticides on albino rat fetuses

ABSTRACT

The present study deals with the teratogenic effects which occur in albino rat fetuses after intragastric administration of different doses of dimethoate and carbosulfan insecticides, either separately or in combination, to pregnant albino rats. In this study, fifty female albino rats were allocated to ten groups [5/each group]; control, low dose dimethoate 1/40 LD50 [8.25 mg/kg], medium dose dimethoate 1/20 LD50 [16.5 mg/kg], high dose dimethoate 1/10 LD50 [33 mg/kg], low dose carbosulfan 1/40 LD50 [5.2 mg/kg], medium dose carbosulfan 1/20 LD50 [10.45 mg/kg], high dose carbosulfan 1/40 LD50 [20.9 mg/kg], mixed low doses of dimethoate and carbosulfan, mixed medium doses of dimethoate and carbosulfan, and mixed high doses of dimethoate and carbosulfan. All pregnant females in mixed medium doses of dimethoate and carbosulfan group died between 9th and 11[th] day of gestation, while those in mixed high doses of dimethoate and carbosulfan died between 8th and 10[th] day of gestation. Animals of all groups were sacrificed in the morning of 20th day of gestation. The external manifestation of poisoning with dimethoate and carbosulfan, embryolethality, live and dead fetuses, placental weight, external abnormalities of fetuses, fetal weight, crown-rump length, biparietal diameter had been monitored. The results of the present study denoting that both dimethoate and carbosulfan insecticides, had a deleterious effects on embryolethality in the form of increased percentage of preimplantation loss, an increased percentage of resorptions, and decreased percentage of live fetuse. Also, both dimethoate and carbosulfan insecticides had a deleterious effects on fetal growth in the form of reduction of, fetal weight, crown-rump length, and biparietal diameter. It is concluded that dimethoate and carbosulfan insecticides had a deleterious effects on fetal growth and embryolethality, this effect is dose-related, and that the mixture of low doses had an effect near that of medium and sometimes high dose of dimethoate and carbosulfan insecticides