Abstract
Most of the pesticides can be used with little risk if label directions were followed, while some are extremely toxic and require special precautions. This study aimed to determine the patho-biochemical toxicity of short-term exposure to repeated low oral doses of malathion, metalaxyl and cymoxanil pesticides on male rats. Results of the present study demonstrated that low doses of malathion, metalaxyl and cymoxanil pesticides was asymptomatic and mostly showed insignificant histopathological changes in treated rats. The observed values of biochemical enzymes with these low-doses were near to the control ones, whereas medium and high doses treated rats exhibited adverse signs and symptoms of toxicity. The results also depicted that cymoxanil was the most toxic of the tested pesticides, followed by Malathion and metalaxyl. The obtained histological lesions were correlated with the increased level of biochemical enzymes in target organs. Additionally, hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity were obvious in rats treated with cymoxanil, meanwhile, neuronal and pulmonary changes were nearly the same in all doses of the used pesticides. Taken together, our study recommends examining pesticides for their possible adverse effects on animals and humans in case of repeated use, even in small doses, before their application to agricultural fields.