This study aimed to investigate the toxicity of the fungicide ipconazole on oxidative status, cell death and inflammasome complex activation in the hypothalamus, cerebral cortex, striatum and hippocampus of rats. Female albino rats were randomly divided into a control group and four groups treated with ipconazole at doses of 1, 5, 10 and 20 mg/kg b.w., administered for six days. Ipconazole significantly increased MDA and ROS levels in all brain regions studied, while reducing catalase enzyme activity. The molecular expression of cell death-related genes (AKT1, APAF1, BNIP3, CASP3 and BAX) and the inflammasome complex (CASP1, IL1β, IL6, NLRP3, NFĸB and TNFα) was also assessed, showing increased expression in at least one brain region. The findings demonstrate that ipconazole induces central nervous system toxicity in mammals, highlighting its potential role as a risk factor in the development of neurodegenerative disorders in individuals exposed to this contaminant.

Triazole pesticides are widely used throughout the world, but their abuse causes toxic effects in non-targeted organisms. In the present study, the cytotoxic effect of the triazole ipconazole was evaluated in porcine and ram spermatozoa. Ipconazole significantly reduced sperm viability, increased ROS levels, altered catalase and SOD enzyme activity, and caused alterations in the molecular mRNA expression of structural biomarkers (PRM1, ODF2, AKAP4, THEG, SPACA3 and CLGN) related to fertility in males, as well as the overexpression of BAX (cell death) and ROMO1 (oxidative stress) mRNA. Our results indicate that the fungicide triazole is involved in cellular, enzymatic and molecular alteration of porcine and ram spermatozoa, and is possibly a factor in the development of infertility in male mammals.

La crianza de ganado lechero en las regiones altoandinas se encuentra limitada por el medio ambiente hipóxico, que puede afectar la supervivencia embrionaria. El presente estudio tuvo por objetivo determinar la mortalidad embrionaria (ME) tardía (28, 35 y 42 días pos-servicio) y su asociación con el número de partos (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, ≥5 partos) y la producción láctea (60 y 90 días) en vacas Brown Swiss, Holstein y cruzadas, bajo un sistema de crianza semi-intensiva al pastoreo en el Valle del Mantaro a 3300 msnm. La ME tardía general fue de 7% (14/203). Se encontró una asociación entre el número de partos y la presentación de ME (r=0.8), así como entre la producción láctea y la ME (r=0.9). La ME tardía en las vacas del valle del Mantaro puede considerarse como baja, y existiría una relación muy estrecha con los factores raza y número de partos.