Adverse Effects to Suckling Mice Following Indirect Exposure to a Pesticide Mixture and Ameliorative Effect of α-Tocopherol Coadministration

The present study was conducted to evaluate the oxidative damage and biochemical and histopathological alterations in suckling mice whose mothers were exposed to a mixture of three pesticides (atrazine “A,” chlorpyrifos “C,” and endosulfan “E”; ACE) with and without vitamin E (α-tocopherol) supplementation. During gestation, the mouse dams were fed a diet free of chemicals. Just after parturition and up to offspring weaning (ca. 20 days), the mouse dams received one of the following diets: (a) a diet free of ACE, (b) a diet enriched with ACE (at Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI): 0.005, 0.01, and 0.006 mg/kg bw/day), (c) a diet free of ACE+oral vitamin E (100 ul/mouse/day), or (d) a diet enriched with ACE+oral vitamin E. Drinking water was allowed ad libitum up to 42 days. After weaning, blood samples and organs were collected from pups and dams for analyses. Compared with the control results of dams or their pups, the ACE mixture induced high elevation in AST, ALT, ALP, urea, and MDA and high decline in BuChE, SOD, and CAT. The suckling pups were more affected than the dams with respect to alterations in MDA and BuChE activities, whereas the opposite was observed with respect to SOD activities. Vitamin E supplementation alleviated the oxidative stress exerted by the tested mixture. The findings of this study explore extension of the adverse effects of the ACE mixture to mouse offspring and the powerful ameliorating effect of vitamin E supplementation