Toxic effects of cypermethrin on the reproductive functions of female rabbits and their amelioration with vitamin E and selenium

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of cypermethrin on the reproductive functions and its amelioration with vitamin e and selenium in rabbits. after 3 days of acclimatization,30 adult female rabbits were divided into five equal groups a,b,c,d and e. group a was kept as control,while all other groups received cypermethrin @ 75 mg/kg bw i/p at 5 days interval. meanwhile animals of group c also received vitamin e @ 150 mg/kg bw and those of group d received selenium @ 0.45 mg/kg bw orally daily,while group e received vitamin e and selenium @ 150 mg/kg + 0.45 mg/kg bw daily. the animals were synchronized on the 5th day,while mating was allowed on the 8th day of experiment. the experimental trial lasted for 32 days. clinical signs observed in rabbits treated with cypermethrin were muscular tremors,licking of different body parts,depression and reduced feed intake. non-significant difference was observed in all groups at 12th and 24th day of gestation in number of cls,while significant (p<0.05) decrease was observed in implantation sites and number of recovered fetuses in all treated groups as compared to control group at 12th and 24th day of gestation. at 12th day of gestation,there was significant (p<0.05) decrease in serum progesterone concentration in groups b,c and d as compared to groups a and e. in group e,progesterone concentration was lower than group a,but statistically the difference was non-significant. at 24th day of gestation,there was significant (p<0.05) decrease in progesterone concentration in groups b,as compared to control. in conclusion,combined use of selenium and vitamin e ameliorated the toxic effects of cypermethrin on reproductive functions in the female rabbits. © 2015 pvj.