Effect of long-term treatment with a mixture of pyrethroids on the expression of genes that govern male germ cell production in rats

Humans are exposed to pyrethroid-based pesticides through agricultural produce. In this study, male Wistar rats were orally treated for 9 to 12 months with a mixture of pyrethroids that is equivalent to one-fifth (high dose; HD) or one-twenty fifth (low dose; LD) of the amount of pyrethroids present in the cereals and rice consumed by an average Indian. In rats treated for 9 months, the spermatogenesis-associated genesAbp, Ar, Cd9, Dax1, Dazap1, Ddx3y, Gdnf, Gfra1, Grth, Inhb, Ovol1, P1, Plzf, Pygo2, Scf, Tgfb1, Tp1, Tp2, andVim1were downregulated in both LD and HD groups. In rats treated for 12 monthsGdnf, Hsf2, Inhb, Tgfb1, Thy1, andYbx2expression was downregulated in both LD and HD groups. Steroidogenesis-associated genes17-beta-Hsd, Gata4, Hmgcr, Hmgcs1, Pde4b, andTspogene expression were reduced in both LD- and HD-treated groups treated for 9 months. In 12-month-treated rats,Creb1expression decreased in both LD and HD groups. The epigenetic reprogramming-associated genes,Dnmt1, Dnmt3a, Dnmt3b, Hdac10, Hp1bp3, Kat3a Kat3b, Mch2ta, Ncoa7, andSirt1were downregulated in both HD and LD groups of 9-months-treated rats. In rats treated for 12 months,Hdac10, Mch2ta, Ncoa7, andSirt1messenger RNA levels decreased in both the HD and LD groups. Thus, we demonstrate that long-term exposure to a mixture of pyrethroids caused aberrations in the transcriptome of factors involved in sperm production and development.

Automated summary

The study reveals that long-term exposure to a mixture of pyrethroids can lead to abnormalities in the transcriptome of factors involved in sperm production and development in rats.