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Cypermethrin (CYP) is a widely used synthetic pyrethroid insecticide and regarded as a potential endocrine disruptor. CYP exposure may pose a great risk to human health including adverse effect on their reproductive functions. This study aimed to delineate the effects of perinatal exposure of rats to CYP on the sexual maturation and fertility of F1 male progeny. Pregnant rats (F0) were gavaged daily with CYP (0, 1, 10, 25 mg/kg BW/day) and Diethylestilbestrol (DES, 10 μg/kg BW/day), as positive control from gestation day 6 to postnatal day 21. The effects of CYP on body weight gain and reproductive functions were evaluated at the Juvenile (PND 22), peri-pubertal (PND 45) and adult (PND 75) stages of development. A significant delay in the age of testicular descent and prepuce separation was observed at 1 and 25 mg/kg doses of CYP. At the same dose level, reproductive organ development and their functions were also affected. A significant alteration in testicular histology, expression of steroid hormone receptors, and circulatory steroid hormones was observed throughout development. Reduced sperm count and motility were observed at PND 75 leading to subfertility and reduced litter size. These adult male rats when cohabitated with unexposed normal cycling females, the F2 fetuses exhibited developmental defects. Taken together, CYP perinatal exposure caused significant long lasting effects of the reproductive functions of F1 generation male rats, which were vertically transmitted to F2 generation leading to developmental defects. The mechanism of transgenerational effects needs to be explored in details.

Nanoparticles possess size-dependent chemical and physical characteristics that enable interesting and correlated approaches for dealing with fundamental biological molecules. Despite the significant development of nanoscience, interactions of nanoscale objects with living systems is less known. When a nanoparticle (NP) encounters a biological fluid, biomolecules spontaneously form adsorption layers around the NP, called a “protein corona” (PC). The corona's composition depends on the time-dependent environmental conditions, which determines the NP's fate within living organisms. The PC consists of two poorly delimited layers, known as the “hard corona” (HC) and “soft corona” (SC), which is affected by the complexity of the environment and the protein–surface equilibrium formed during in vivo blood circulation. This chapter is focused on the investigation of the corona formation of adsorbed proteins around nanoparticles depending on the type of characterization technique. Protein corona–NP complexes are further characterized by integrating information on morphology and also on the structure/composition of the PC. Thus, multi-disciplinary approaches are highlighted in order to obtain much more information about the PC and its properties to fully understand the real impact of the PC on nanoparticles' surface and their various therapeutics applications.