Dose-response relationship of mancozeb exposure on follicle-stimulating hormone and sperm morphology in Sprague Dawley rats

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Agricultural pesticides constitute a growing concern for male reproductive health, with dithiocarbamate fungicides implicated in endocrine disruption through multiple pathways. This research examined the dose-response relationship between mancozeb exposure and follicle-stimulating hormone alterations alongside sperm morphological changes in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Thirty-two adult male rats were divided into four groups receiving vehicle control, 25, 50, or 100 mg/kg mancozeb daily for 45 days via oral gavage. Serum FSH was measured by radioimmunoassay, and sperm morphology was evaluated on Papanicolaou-stained smears. Mancozeb administration produced a dose-dependent elevation in serum FSH concentrations from 3.2 ± 0.4 mIU/mL in controls to 9.8 ± 1.2 mIU/mL in the high-dose group (p < 0.001). Concurrently, the proportion of morphologically normal spermatozoa decreased from 89.3 ± 3.1% to 38.7 ± 4.8%. A significant negative correlation was established between FSH elevation and normal sperm morphology (r = ?0.88, p < 0.001), suggesting a mechanistic link between gonadotropin dysregulation and spermatogenic failure. These results demonstrate that mancozeb exposure disrupts the FSH-mediated regulation of spermatogenesis, resulting in progressive deterioration of sperm structural integrity.

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