BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Tricyclazoleis a popularTriazole pesticide used in agriculture to control rice blast disease.Due to thehigh consumption and stability of tricyclazole, as well as the digestive, nervous and hepaticdisorders it may cause, this study aimed to investigate the effects of tricyclazole on hepatic enzyme changes and tissue damagein the fetus of laboratory mice.

METHODS: Forthis experimental study, 30 mice (10 male, 20 female) with the age range of 10-12 weeks were purchased from Pasteur Institute, Northern branch, Iran. After mating and confirmation of pregnancy usinga vaginal plaque,the mice were randomly divided into three groups of control (N=6), experiment I(N=7) and experiment II (N=7). In the experimental groups, the mice received tricyclazole via intraperitoneal injectionat doses of 0.5 and1.5 mg/kg,respectively, whilethe control group received no toxins. All the animals were preservedunderoptimum conditions, and at day 17 of gestation, they were killed,and the fetuseswere removed from the body of the mothers. Sampling of hepatic tissues was performedto count fetal hepatocytes andevaluate tissuedamage. In addition, enzymelevels of Alanine aminotransferase (ALT), Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and Alkaline phosphatase(ALP)were measured via the colorimetric method using theenzyme kit madeby Cayman company. 

FINDINGS: In this study, microscopic evaluationsshowed a significant increase in the number of hepatocytes inexperimental group I (21.35 ± 0.85) and experimental group II (23.1±1.16) compared to the control group (16.9 ± 1.2)(P<0.05). Moreover, levels of ALTand AST were higher in the experimental groupscompared to the control group, whilethe level of ALP was observed to decrease in both groups (p<0.05).According to histopathological studies, concentrations of tricyclazole in the liver could lead to necrosis, inflammatory cell infiltration, hyperplasia, watery degeneration of hepatocytes and severe hepatomegaly.

CONCLUSION: According to the results of this study,enzymatic changes and hepatic tissue damage aredose-dependent processes, and tricyclazole could irreversibly disrupt the metabolic systemof the body