The Ramazzini Institute 13-week pilot study glyphosate-based herbicides administered at human-equivalent dose to Sprague Dawley rats: effects on development and endocrine system

Table 1 Maternal and reproductive outcome of dams exposed to glyphosate or Roundup Bioflow throughout pregnancy and lactation

Parameter	Control	Glyphosate	Roundup
Gestational index (%)^a	100 (8/8)	100 (8/8)	100 (8/8)
Mean gestational length (day)^b	22.9	23.0	23.0
Relative weight gain during pregnancy (%)^{d, e}	33.1 ± 1.8	32.4 ± 2.2	33.2 ± 1.4
Relative weight gain during lactation (%)^{d, f}	3.1 ± 0.7	2.5 ± 0.5	2.9 ± 0.8
Total pups (n) delivered at PND 0^g	120	115	124
Litter size (n)^{d, h}	15 ± 1.3	14.4 ± 1.9	15.5 ± 1.7
Sex ratio at birth (%)^{d, i}	53.6 ± 16.9	43.2 ± 9.9	45.4 ± 12.6
Mean live birth index (%)^{d, l}	95.9 ± 9.4	93.9 ± 6.8	96.1 ± 5.8
Dams with reported stillbirths (n)	2	4	3
Stillborn (n)^m	5	7	5
Survival index at PND 1 (%)ⁿ	90.8 ± 10.6	93.0 ± 8.3	91.5 ± 9.0
Survival index at PND 21 (%)ⁿ	90.0 ± 10.0	91.3 ± 8.3	88.1 ± 8.0

^aGestational index = (number of females with live born / number of females with evidence of pregnancy) × 100
^bMean gestational length = mean number of days between GD 0 (day of positive evidence of mating) and day of parturition
^dMean ± standard deviation
^eRelative weight gain during pregnancy = relative weight on the last day of pregnancy minus relative weight on the first day treatment in pregnancy, i.e. GD 6 (weight on GD 6 = 100%)
^fRelative weight gain during lactation = relative weight on LD 21 minus relative weight on the first day of lactation, i.e. LD 1 (weight on LD 1 = 100%)
^gLive and stillborn pups are considered
^hMean number of pups per litter at PND 0 (within 24 h from delivery)
ⁱSex ratio at birth = (no. of male offspring / no. of total offspring) × 100
^lLive birth index = (no. of offspring born alive / no. of offspring born) × 100
^mStillborn = no. of pups died in utero
ⁿSurvival index = (no. of live offspring at designated time-point / no. of pups born) × 100

ISSN: 1476-069X