Biochemical and Histopathological Alterations in Different Tissues of Rats Due to Repeated Oral Dose Toxicity of Cymoxanil

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Cymoxanil is a broad-spectrum fungicide used to protect many fruits, vegetables, and field crops against several fungal diseases. Investigating the potential hazards and toxicological effects of this fungicide is very important as cymoxanil can be a major human health concern. The present study investigated the effect of repeated oral doses of cymoxanil on different tissues of treated rats by measuring different biochemical parameters and investigating the histopathological changes. Interestingly, our study reported a dose-dependent effect of cymoxanil that was combined with marked alteration on biochemical enzymes. Moreover, the alteration was combined with marked histopathological changes in various tissues of treated rats, mainly liver, brain, and kidney tissues. Our study collectively reveals that cymoxanil can be a source of major concern for human health with respect to long-term and low dose exposure. ABSTRACT: Evaluating potential adverse health impacts caused by pesticides is an important parameter in human toxicity. This study focuses on the importance of subchronic toxicity assessment of cymoxanil fungicide in rats with special reference to target biochemical enzymes and histopathological changes in different tissues. In this regard, a 21-day toxicity study with repeated cymoxanil oral doses was conducted. It has been shown that low doses (0.5 mg/kg) were less effective than medium (1 mg/kg) and high (2 mg/kg) doses. Moreover, high dose dose-treated rats showed piecemeal necrosis in the liver, interstitial nephritis and tubular degeneration in the kidneys, interstitial pneumonia and type II pneumocyte hyperplasia in the lungs, gliosis, spongiosis, and malacia in the brain, and testicular edema and degeneration in the testes. Cymoxanil significantly increased AST, ALT, and ALP in serum and liver, indicating tissue necrosis and possible leakage of these enzymes into the bloodstream. Creatinine levels increased, indicating renal damage. Similarly, significant inhibition was recorded in brain acetylcholinesterase, indicating that both synaptic transmission and nerve conduction were affected. Importantly, these histopathological and biochemical alterations were dose-dependent. Taken together, our study reported interesting biochemical and histopathological alterations in different rat tissues following repeated toxicity with oral doses of cymoxanil. Our study suggests future studies on different pesticides at different concentrations that would help urge governments to create more restrictive regulations concerning these compounds’ levels.