Developmental immunotoxicity of atrazine in rodents

Basic Clin Pharmacol Toxicol. 2008 Feb;102(2):139-45. doi: 10.1111/j.1742-7843.2007.00175.x.

Abstract

There is a substantial literature reporting that the developing immune system is more sensitive to toxic insult and that the measurable phenotype resulting from prenatal/neonatal exposure often differs from that seen in adult exposure models (reviewed in Holladay and Steven, and Smialowicz et al.). Atrazine is a common herbicidal contaminant of groundwater in agricultural areas in the USA. The potential immunotoxicity of atrazine has been extensively studied using adult-exposure models; however, few studies have explored its immunotoxicity in a prenatal and/or lactational exposure model. Prenatal/lactational atrazine exposure affects the function of young adult rodent immune systems in both sex- and age-dependant manners. In our studies, the humoural and cell-mediated immune responses of offspring from atrazine-exposed dams were assessed at two ages, 3 and 6 months of age to test the hypothesis that prenatal/lactational atrazine exposure would cause greater health complications as the mice aged. Male offspring showed a significant immunopotentiation at three moa that was not apparent at 6 months. Three-month-old female offspring showed no significant difference in immune response from controls. However, at 6 months, female litter mates showed a significant depression in their immune function. These results indicate a decreasing trend in immune capacity. Rooney et al. showed a significant depression of the immune function of young male rat exposure prenatally and lactationally to atrazine. These results demonstrate a sex- and age-dependant effect of prenatal exposure to atrazine on the immune system of the adult offspring using two rodent strains.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Atrazine / toxicity*
  • Female
  • Herbicides / toxicity*
  • Humans
  • Immune System / drug effects*
  • Immune System / embryology
  • Immunologic Factors / toxicity
  • Lactation
  • Pregnancy
  • Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects*
  • Rodentia

Substances

  • Herbicides
  • Immunologic Factors
  • Atrazine