Kasuba_2022_Toxics_10_

To contribute new information to the pyrethroid pesticide alpha-cypermethrin toxicity profile, we evaluated its effects after oral administration to Wistar rats at daily doses of 2.186, 0.015, 0.157, and 0.786 mg/kg bw for 28 days. Evaluations were performed using markers of oxidative stress, cholinesterase (ChE) activities, and levels of primary DNA damage in plasma/whole blood and liver, kidney, and brain tissue. Consecutive exposure to alpha-cypermethrin affected the kidney, liver, and brain weight of rats. A significant increase in concentration of the thiobarbituric acid reactive species was observed in the brain, accompanied by a significant increase in glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity. An increase in GPx activity was also observed in the liver of all alpha-cypermethrin-treated groups, while GPx activity in the blood was significantly lower than in controls. A decrease in ChE activities was observed in the kidney and liver. Treatment with alpha-cypermethrin induced DNA damage in the studied cell types at almost all of the applied doses, indicating the highest susceptibility in the brain. The present study showed that, even at very low doses, exposure to alpha-cypermethrin exerts genotoxic effects and sets in motion the antioxidative mechanisms of cell defense, indicating the potential hazards posed by this insecticide.