Immunotoxicity of atrazine in Balb/c mice.

Abstract

The present study was designed to investigate the immunotoxicity of atrazine (ATZ) in male Balb/c mice. ATZ (175, 87.5, and 43.75 mg/kg bw/day) was administered by gavage method for 28 days. The following indexes were determined in various groups of mice: body and organ weight; antibody aggregation of serum hemolysin; proliferative response of splenocytes to ConA; delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH); natural killer cell activity; clearance of neutral red and nitric oxide (NO) release from peritoneal macrophages; apostosis and necrosis of splenocytes and thymocytes; cytokine production; and serum lysozyme. Results showed that cell-mediated, humoral immunity, and non-specific immune function in the high-dose ATZ group were suppressed; NO release and interferon-γ(IFN-γ)/interleukin-4 (IL-4) were also significantly decreased in the high-dose group. In the medium-dose group, the proliferation response and IFN-γ production was significantly decreased. In the low-dose group, the proliferation response was significantly decreased. Serum lysozyme was decreased in the ATZ-treated groups. The percentage of early apoptosis in thymocytes was increased significantly in high- and medium-dose ATZ groups. In conclusion, ATZ elicited an inhibitory effect on cell-mediated immunity, humoral immunity, and non-specific immune function of mice.

• Authors: Jin Y Chen, Yang Song, Li S Zhang
• Journal: Journal of environmental science and health. Part. B, Pesticides, food contaminants, and agricultural wastes (J Environ Sci Health B) Vol. 48 Issue 8 Pg. 637-45 ( 2013) ISSN: 1532-4109 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 23638890 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Herbicides
• Interleukin-4
• Interferon-gamma
• Muramidase
• Atrazine

Topics

• Animals
• Apoptosis (drug effects)
• Atrazine (immunology, toxicity)
• Body Weight (drug effects)
• Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
• Dose-Response Relationship, Immunologic
• Herbicides (immunology, toxicity)
• Immunity, Humoral (drug effects)
• Interferon-gamma (metabolism)
• Interleukin-4 (metabolism)
• Macrophages, Peritoneal (drug effects, immunology)
• Male
• Mice
• Mice, Inbred BALB C
• Muramidase (blood)
• Necrosis
• Organ Size (drug effects)
• Spleen (drug effects, immunology, pathology)
• Thymocytes (drug effects, pathology)
• Toxicity Tests, Acute (methods)