The accumulation and histological effects of organometallic fungicides Propineb and Maneb in the kidneys of fetus and female rats during pregnancy

Dithiocarbamate propineb and maneb are organometal fungicides, which are widely used for the control of diseases in plants. Female Wistar rats were exposed orally to 200 and 400 ppm propineb and 250 ppm maneb, from the sixth day of gestation up to birth. We found that the body weights of both one-day old litters and their fungicide-treated mothers were lower than those of controls. Histological examination of the kidneys of fetus and fungicide-treated pregnant females showed a variety of histopathological effects. Moreover, the analysis of zinc (Zn) and manganese (Mn) concentrations (using inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry) in the kidneys of pregnant females exposed to organometallic fungicides during pregnancy demonstrated that the metal concentrations in the kidney were higher than those of controls. However, the renal metal concentrations were significantly increased in the litters subjected to the fungicides during gestation, indicating that high levels of the trace metals in the organ of fetus may well be due to the fungicides easily passing the placental barrier. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.