ABSTRACT Information about the adverse effects caused by glyphosate herbicide transferred during lactation to pups is important for human health. So, in the present study, we demonstrated the effects of glyphosate administered during lactation period of pup rats at a daily dose of 0.3 mg/kg body weight [the acceptable daily intake (ADI)], 31 mg/kg body weight [no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL)] and 56 mg/kg body wt. [1/100 LD50] for 21 days. At the end of each treatment, the suckling pups were separated into male and female, and the relative kidney weights were measured. The levels of creatinine and urea were determined in serum. Oxidative stress was measured using lipid peroxidation and the activities of glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and catalase (CAT) in kidney tissue were also measured. Red blood corpuscle (RBC) and white blood cell (WBC) counts and hemoglobin content (Hb) were measured. Histopathological examination was also performed in kidney tissues. The pups showed increased relative kidney weight with the highest increment in 1/100LD50 dose followed by NOAEL and ADI doses. Also, marked increment in malondialdehyde (MDA) level along with significant inhibition in catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities were detected in pup’s kidney tissues. Counts of WBCs and RBCs and Hb content exhibited significant reduction in the blood of pups that received 1/100 LD 50 dose which is more than the NOAEL and ADI doses. Histopathological examination of kidney tissue demonstrated focal fibrosis with inflammatory cells between glomeruli and tubules of male and female pup kidney tissue (lower scoring severity (+) in ADI and NOAEL doses than 1/100LD50 (+++)). Additionally, at 1/100LD50 dose focal hemorrhages, degradation in tubular lining epithelial cells (+) and renal arteries congestion (++) were observed. These results revealed that even exposure to minimal glyphosate levels can have dangerous adverse effects on renal tissues.
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