Recently,
infertility has become a major global issue. It is crucial to identify environmental factors that lead to
infertility. The prevalent use of pesticides in agriculture results in the exposure of livestock and humans to these pesticides. Studies have reported the harmful effects of pesticides on pregnancy.
Pyridaben, a
pesticide that inhibits mitochondrial complex 1, has been reported to have detrimental effects on neurons, spermatogenesis, hormonal balance, and embryonic development. However, the effect of
pyridaben on the female reproductive system has not yet been studied. Therefore, in this study, we evaluated the effects of
pyridaben on early pregnancy in porcine reproductive cell lines, which are known to mimic the female reproductive system. Results demonstrated that
pyridaben decreased cell growth in porcine endometrial
luminal epithelial and porcine trophectoderm cell lines through inhibition of cell signal transduction. Further,
pyridaben increased subG1 phase and late apoptosis through the induction of
reactive oxygen species production,
mitochondrial dysfunction,
calcium unbalances, pro-apoptotic signals, and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. Moreover, we found that
pyridaben induced autophagy and inhibition of placentation through the regulation of ER-mitochondria axis
proteins. Overall,
pyridaben was found to be harmful in early pregnancy in pigs and may have similar effects in human pregnancy.