The Accumulation and Histological Effects of The Organometallic Fungicide Propineb on The Organs of Fetuses and Female Rats During Pregnancy

Dithiocarbamate propineb is an organometal fungicide, which is widely used for the control of diseases in plants. Female Wistar rats were exposed orally to propineb concentrations of 200 and 400 ppm, from the 6th day of gestation up to birth. At 400 ppm, propineb showed a variety of macroscopic (e.g. ptosis and paralysis) and microscopic symptoms in the organs of both fetuses and female rats. We found that the body weights of both one-day old litters and their propineb-treated mothers were lower than those of the controls. Histological examination of the livers and kidneys of the fetuses and propineb-treated pregnant females showed a variety of histopathological effects. The analysis of Zn concentrations (using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Atomic Emission Spectrometry) in the liver, kidney and heart of pregnant females exposed to organometallic fungicide during pregnancy demonstrated that the metal concentrations in these organs were higher than those of the controls. However, the hepatic, renal and myocardial Zn concentrations were greatly increased in the litters subjected to the fungicide during gestation, indicating that high levels of the trace metal in the organs of fetuses may well be due to fungicide easily passing the placental barrier.