author(s)
Shasta Kalra and Gurinder Kaur Sangha

abstract
The present study was designed to investigate the neurotoxicity induced by cypermethrin in female and male albino rats. The rats were divided into three group, each group consisting of six rats. Control rats were given olive oil, while other two group of rats were orally intubated with sub-chronic does levels of 1/25^th and 1/50^th LD₅₀ of CYP dissolved in olive oil respectively daily for four weeks. OS biomarkers viz; catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione reductase (GR), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), gluthione-S-transferase (GST), and lipid peroxidation (LPO) levels were determined in brain. Brain function parameter, acetylcholinestrase (AChE) was also observed alongwith histopathological observations. Activity levels of CAT and SOD decreased while GST, GR, GPx and LPO increased in brain of CYP treated rats. CYP treated female (1.862±0.12 µmoles) and male (1.920±0.06 µmoles) rats at both the doses showed significant inhibition in the ATPase activity in brain as compared to control rats (3.417±0.18 and 3.494±0.11 µmoles) respectively. Cypermethrin treatment decreased the levels of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in a dose-dependent manner in plasma and brain of female and male rats. Histomorphological studies further revealed number of abnormalities as extensive neuronal damage, marked neuronal degeneration; neurons decreased in number and shrunken with slight vacuolation, pyknotic nuclei, apoptosis nuclei and dilated blood vessels (DV). The results infer that exposure of female and male albino rats to CYP leads to number of pathophysiological conditions in the brain at dose dependent manner.