Melatonin Ameliorates Developmental Landmarks Induced by Gestational and Lactational Coexposure to Chlorpyriphos and Cypermethrin in F1 Male Rats

The ameliorative potentials of melatonin (ML) on developmental changes evoked by gestational and lactational co-exposure to chlorpyriphos (CP) and cypermethrin (CY) was investigated in male Wistar rats. Pregnant dams were divided at random into 6 groups of 10 animals each and treated orally by gavage from gestation day 1 to postnatal day 21 with the following regimens: The DW, SO and ML groups were administered distilled water (2 ml/kg), soya oil (2 ml/kg) and melatonin (0.5 mg/kg), respectively; CC group was co-administered CP (1.9 mg/kg) and CY (7.5 mg/kg); MC group was pretreated with ML (0.5 mg/kg) and followed by co-administration of CP and CY while the CM group was administered CP and CY and then treated with ML. We evaluated the developmental parameters on the F1 generation male rats at different postnatal intervals following parturition. Alterations in litter size and weight, number of live/dead pups, anogenital distance, crown-rump length, time of eye and ear openings, and testicular descent induced by gestational and lactational exposure to CP and CY in F1 male rats were mitigated by pre- and post-administration of ML. These curative and prophylactic potentials of ML may be partly attributed to its widely known antioxidant property.