Effect of glyphosate on reproductive organs in male rat

• Glyphosate decreased the average daily feed intake at dose of 50 mg/kg rather than 500 mg/kg.
• Glyphosate decreased the weight of seminal vesicle gland, coagulating gland as well as the total sperm count at a dose of 500 mg/kg.
• Glyphosate has no impact on the concentration of testosterone, estrdiol and progesterone.
• Glyphosate can not induce oxidative stress in testes at doses performed in our experiment.

Glyphosate as an active ingredient of Roundup® which is thought to be one of the most popular herbicide was used worldwide. Many studies have focused on reproductive toxicity on glyphosate-based herbicide, but few evidence exists to imply the male reproductive toxicity of glyphosate alone in vivo. In this study SD rats were Lavaged with glyphosate at doses of 5, 50, 500 mg/kg to detect the toxicity of glyphosate on rat testis. Glyphosate significantly decreased the average daily feed intake at dose of 50 mg/kg, and the weight of seminal vesicle gland, coagulating gland as well as the total sperm count at dose of 500 mg/kg. Immunohistochemistry of androgen receptor (AR) has no difference among all groups. As to testosterone, estradiol, progesterone and oxidative stress parameters, the level of them has no differences amidst all doses. Taken together, we conclude that glyphosate alone has low toxicity on male rats reproductive system.