Maternal α-cypermethrin and permethrin exert differential effects on fetal growth, placental morphology, and fetal neurodevelopment in mice

Pyrethroid insecticides represent a broad class of chemicals used widely in agriculture and household applications. Human studies show mixed effects of maternal pyrethroid exposure on fetal growth and neurodevelopment. Assessment of shared pyrethroid metabolites as a biomarker for exposure obscures effects of specific chemicals within this broader class. To better characterize pyrethroid effects on fetal development, we investigated maternal exposure to permethrin, a type I pyrethroid, and -cypermethrin, a type II pyrethroid, on fetal development in mice. Pregnant CD1 mice were exposed to permethrin (1.5, 15, or 50 mg/kg), -cypermethrin (0.3, 3, or 10 mg/kg), or corn oil vehicle via oral gavage on gestational days (GD) 6-16. Effects on fetal growth, placental toxicity, and neurodevelopment were evaluated at GD 16. Cypermethrin, but not permethrin, significantly reduced fetal growth and altered placental layer morphology. Placental RNAseq analysis revealed downregulation of genes involved in extracellular matrix remodeling in response to -cypermethrin. Both pyrethroids induced shifts in fetal dorsal forebrain microglia morphology from ramified to ameboid states; however, effects of -cypermethrin were more pronounced. The -cypermethrin transcriptome of fetal dorsal forebrain implicated altered glutamate receptor signaling, synaptogenesis, and c-AMP signaling. Coregulated gene modules in individual placenta and fetal dorsal forebrain pairs were correlated and overlapped in biological processes characterizing synapses, mitotic cell cycle, and chromatin organization, suggesting placenta-fetal brain shared mechanisms with -cypermethrin exposure. In summary, maternal type II pyrethroid -cypermethrin exposure but not type I pyrethroid permethrin significantly affected placental development, fetal growth, and neurodevelopment, and these effects were linked.