Over the past several decades, awareness has been growing regarding the reproductive health effects of exposures to certain chemicals. Some pesticides may interfere with the female hormonal function, which may lead to negative effects on the reproductive system through disruption of the hormonal balance necessary for proper functioning. Toxicants that interfere with ovarian function can act directly on the ovary or indirectly through demonstrating their influence at the hormonal level. In the present study, the effects of endosulfan, an oranochlorine pesticide, were investigated after its long-term treatment in low residual level doses on ovaries of albino mice in co-relation with estrogen level in the serum. Endosulfan was orally administered at 3mg/kg body weight to swiss albino female mice for 2, 4 and 6 weeks. Mice were sacrificed and blood were collected for hormonal assay and histological examination of ovaries. Elevated level of estrogen was observed with increase in dose duration. Degenerated corpus luteum was also observed after endosulfan administration. Degeneration were increased with increased duration of dose of endosulfan which causes gradually elevated estrogen level in mice due to which ovulation of mice does not takes place in such high level of estrogen and mice become infertile.
