Procymidone is a fungicide with anti-androgenic properties widely used to protect fruits from fungal infection, which induces an excessive reactive oxygen species production in male reproductive organs. In this study, to clarify whether procymidone affect the cellular antioxidant system of prostate at onset of puberty, gene expression patterns of the representative antioxidant enzymes such as cytoplasmic glutathione peroxidase (GPx1), phospholipid hydroperoxide GPx (PHGPx), selenoprotein P (SePP), cytoplasmic copper/zinc superoxide dismutase (SOD1), and manganese SOD (SOD2) were investigated in the rat ventral prostates exposed to procymidone using real-time RT-PCR analyses. Seven-week-old Sprague-Dawley rats castrated at 6 weeks old were treated with procymidone (25, 50, or 100 mg/kg per day) orally for 7 consecutive days after testosterone propionate (0.4 mg/kg per day) administration by subcutaneous injection. As compared to normal control animals, GPx1 mRNA expression in prostates significantly increased by the administration with TP and/or procymidone. However, PHGPx and SOD1 mRNA levels significanatly decreased by over 25 mg/kg of procymidone treatment and SePP and SOD2 mRNA levels was significanatly reduced by over 50 mg/kg of procymidone treatment. These findings indicate that procymidone may affect the antioxidant system of prostatic cells in up-regulation mode of GPx1, but in down-regulation modes of PHGPx, SePP, SOD1, and SOD2, suggesting that procymidone may affect differently the cellular antioxidant system of prostate according to the exposure doses.

For this study, Smilex powder, a pesticide, was sprayed on the Altari radish, and then underground water, Chitosan solution (×500), and wood vinegar solution (×1000) were evenly sprayed on the Altari radish respectively. Samples of Altari radishs for residual pesticide analysis were taken two hours, 1 day, 7 days, and 15 days after treatments, and the detectable concentration and degradability of procymidone, the pesticide residue, were measured. The results obtained are as follows: 1. When detectable concentration of procymidone within the altari radish was measured, treatment plots sprayed with underground water, Chitosan solution (×500), and wood vinegar solution (×1000) were found to show lower detectable concentration than the non-treatment plot which was sprayed with pesticide only. Especially, the treatment plots sprayed with Chitosan solution (×500), and with wood vinegar solution (×1,000) showed lower values than the average. 2. When the degradability of procymidone within the Altari radish was measured, the plot treated with Chitosan solution (×500) and the plot treated with wood vinegar solution (×1,000) were found to have relatively higher degradability of procymidone. There were not much differences among testing materials in the degradability of residual pesticides. However, the plot treated with Chitosan solution (×500) showed higher degradability. In terms of average degradability with time, degradability increased sharply 7 days after the foliar application of testing materials. 3. When the daily far-sighted view survey was conducted in order to find out growth disorder and damage on the Altari radish plants by the treatment of underground water, Chitosan solution (×500), and wood vinegar solution (×1,000), no symptomatic physiological disorders was observed on all the plants tested during the whole growing season at the tested concentration level.

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of ozonated water and ozonated water + hydrogen peroxide treatment of residual procymidone in perilla leaf containing 20 mg/L procymidone. Samples was treated with ozonated water containing 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 mg O3/L ozone and hydrogen peroxide water containing 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 mg H2O2/L hydrogen peroxide in pH 5, 7 and 9, respectively, at 15℃. Procymidone removal rate was 26.5% in 7 days at 15℃ and optimum condition of procymidone removal was the case of treating with ozonated water containing 2.0 mg O3/L and pH 9. As the result procymidone removal rate was about 96.5%. In this case of adding hydrogen peroxide, optimum condition of procymidone removal was 1 : 0.5～1(O3 : H2O2). However, procymidone was nearly removed with the treatment of hydrogen peroxide water only.