Title: The teratogenic potential of the herbicide glyphosate-Roundup(R) in
Wistar rats.

Author: Dallegrave, Eliane; Mantese, Fabiana DiGiorgio; Coelho, Ricardo
Soares; Pereira, Janaina Drawans; Dalsenter, Paulo Roberto; Langeloh,
Augusto


Author Address Department of Pharmacology, Instituto de Ciencias Basicas da
Saude, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Rua Sarmento Leite
500, Sala 202, 90046-900, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil, BrazilDepartment of
Pharmacology, Instituto de Ciencias Basicas da Saude, Universidade Federal
do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Rua Sarmento Leite 500, Sala 202, 90046-900,
Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.

Published in: Toxicology Letters (Shannon), volumn 142, pages 45-52, (2003).


Abstract: "The aim of this study was to assess the teratogenicity of the
herbicide glyphosate-Roundup(R) (as commercialized in Brazil) to Wistar
rats. Dams were treated orally with water or 500, 750 or 1000 mg/kg
glyphosate from day 6 to 15 of pregnancy. Cesarean sections were performed
on day 21 of pregnancy, and number of corpora lutea, implantation sites,
living and dead fetuses, and resorptions were recorded. Weight and gender of
the fetuses were determined, and fetuses were examined for external
malformations and skeletal alterations. The organs of the dams were removed
and weighed. Results showed a 50% mortality rate for dams treated with 1000
mg/kg glyphosate. Skeletal alterations were observed in 15.4, 33.1, 42.0 and
57.3% of fetuses from the control, 500, 750 and 1000 mg/kg glyphosate
groups, respectively. We may conclude that glyphosate-Roundup(R) is toxic to
the dams and induces developmental retardation of the fetal skeleton."


Henry Kuska, retired

http://home.neo.rr.com/kuska/