What are the effects of pesticide-induced oxidative stress on male reproduction?
Strict monitoring of the use of pesticides and prohibitions on a number of them, have considerably reduced the levels of pesticides in the environment. However, random testing of soil and ground water reveal the presence of residual polychlorinated biphenyls. Lindane Lindane [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6- hexachlorocyclohexane], which is deemed “moderately toxic” by the WHO and whose use as pesticide/insecticide has been banned in more than fifty countries was recently found in bottled soft drinks. Lindane is absorbed via digestive, cutaneous and respiratory routes and accumulates in adipose tissue. It has a deleterious effect on liver, brain and blood by altering the oxidative status of those organs. The reproductive No Observed Adverse Effect (NOAEL) for lindane is 1.7 mg/kg body weight/day. Recent studies have shown that sub-NOAEL doses of lindane can damage testicular seminiferous tubule morphology resulting in decreased spermatogenesis. Following exposure to lindane, the testis was under oxid
