Studies were conducted on the dam’s fertility and pup viability, litter physical and motor development and chromosomal analysis with female rats exposed to different concentrations of mancozeb, at initial and organogenesis periods of pregnancy. The exposure did not interfere with the pregnant females or their estrous cycle but resulted in retarded physical development, with exception of the vaginal opening and tests descent; which were in advance. The litter body weight was not affected. The examination of swimming performance indicated an initial impairment and a posterior recovery. The observed chromosome damage in dams and pups was found to enhance with the fungicide’s concentration. The results obtained led to the conclusion that even in the absence of maternal signs of toxicity, mancozeb could be related to some genetic damage and teratogenic risk to the population exposed.
Mancozeb; Rats; Postnatal development; Prenatal exposure; Genetic evaluation
