Romanian Society of Pharmaceutical Sciences
 

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EFFECTS OF PRENATAL AND NEONATAL EXPOSURE TO GLYPHOSATE AND GLYPHOSATE-BASED FORMULATIONS ON MALE AND FEMALE OFFSPRING FERTILITY AND REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS DEVELOPMENTAL EFFECTS

MOHAMAD ALAA HBOUS 1 , LILIANA CERCELARU 2*, ANTONIA BLENDEA 3 , RADU MITRUT 4 , ANCA OANA DOCEA 5

1Doctoral School, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, Romania
2 Department of Anatomy and Embryology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, Romania
3 Department of Pharmaceutical Botany, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, 200349, Craiova, Romania
4 County Emergency Clinical Hospital of Craiova, Craiova, Romania
5 Department of Toxicology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, Romania

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A systematic search (June 2025) of PubMed and ScienceDirect identified animal studies examining prenatal and lactational exposure to glyphosate or glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs) and subsequent reproductive outcomes. Of 272 records screened, 58 full texts were assessed, and 10 met the inclusion criteria focusing on male or female fertility endpoints. Two studies reported effects in both sexes; five studies in male offspring (mice and rats) and seven in female offspring (rats and ewes). Evidence indicates endocrine-disrupting actions of glyphosate and GBHs in males, including impaired spermatogenesis and altered Leydig cell hormone regulation at low exposure levels. In females, very low doses reduced implantation sites and induced multigenerational effects in rats and ewes. Collectively, available data demonstrate that early-life glyphosate or GBH exposure can disrupt reproductive physiology across species.