Introduction: The global use of methomyl has raised concerns about its potential adverse effects, particularly during pregnancy. Propolis has received a lot of attention lately because of its possible therapeutic benefits and ameliorative effects, particularly during pregnancy.
Objectives: The current double-approach study sets out to assess the possible impact of ma-ternal methomyl injection on rat fetuses and pups' morphology and endoskeletal development, as well as rat dams' and pups' chromosomal abnormalities. Furthermore, we looked at the po-tential protective properties of propolis against methomyl-induced toxicity.
Methods: Oral administration of methomyl (2 mg/kg) and propolis (300 mg/kg) were given to pregnant (from 6th to 15th days of pregnancy) and lactating rat mothers (from 1st to 14th post-natal days). The rats were divided into the following groups: 1) the control group receiving 1ml distilled water, 2) propolis group receiving 1ml propolis; 3) methomyl group receiving 1ml methomyl; and 4) combination group receiving 1ml methomyl and 1 ml propolis. A total of 48 females, 208 fetuses and 152 pups were utilized in the current study.
Results: Maternal methomyl administration induced many morphological and endoskeletal abnormalities, such as umbilical hernia, small ear pinna, soft membranous skin, subcutaneous hemorrhage, hypognatha and kyphosis. In addition to histological changes in bone sections of rat pups and decreased cortical ossification. In addition, methomyl induced a significant increase in the frequency of aberrant chromosomes, which included fragmentation, ring chromosomes, centric attenuation, centric fusion, end to end association and chromosome gaps. Interestingly, propolis administration evidently ameliorated and reversed the majority of the drastic effects of maternally administered methomyl on rats' prenatal and postnatal development.
Conclusions: Our results reported that during lactation and pregnancy propolis could be used in the form of dietary supplement to help improve the hazard effects of maternal administra-tion of methomyl.