Antioxidant attenuation of atrazine induced histopathological changes in testicular tissue of goat in vitro

Atrazine Toxicity: The Possible Role of Natural Products for Effective Treatment

There are various herbicides which were used in the agriculture industry. Atrazine (ATZ) is a chlorinated triazine herbicide that consists of a ring structure, known as the triazine ring, along with a chlorine atom and five nitrogen atoms. ATZ is a water-soluble herbicide, which makes it capable of easily infiltrating into majority of the aquatic ecosystems. There are reports of toxic effects of ATZ on different systems of the body but, unfortunately, majority of these scientific reports were documented in animals. The herbicide was reported to enter the body through various routes. The toxicity of the herbicide can cause deleterious effects on the respiratory, reproductive, endocrine, central nervous system, gastrointestinal, and urinary systems of the human body. Alarmingly, few studies in industrial workers showed ATZ exposure leading to cancer. We embarked on the present review to discuss the mechanism of action of ATZ toxicity for which there is no specific antidote or drug. Evidence-based published literature on the effective use of natural products such as lycopene, curcumin, Panax ginseng, Spirulina platensis, Fucoidans, vitamin C, soyabeans, quercetin, L-carnitine, Telfairia occidentalis, vitamin E, Garcinia kola, melatonin, selenium, Isatis indigotica, polyphenols, Acacia nilotica, and Zingiber officinale were discussed in detail. In the absence of any particular allopathic drug, the present review may open the doors for future drug design involving the natural products and their active compounds.

Differential mitochondrial dysregulation by exposure to individual organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and their mixture in zebrafish embryos

Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) have been reported to cause mitochondrial dysfunction. However, most studies reported its mitochondrial toxicity with respect to a single form, which is far from the environmentally relevant conditions. In this study, we exposed zebrafish embryos to five OCPs: chlordane, heptachlor, p,p'-dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (p,p'-DDT), β-hexachlorocyclohexane (β-HCH), and hexachlorobenzene (HCB), as well as an equal ratio mixture of these OCPs. We evaluated mitochondrial function, including oxygen consumption, the activity of mitochondrial complexes, antioxidant reactions, and expression of genes involved in mitochondrial metabolism. Oxygen consumption rate was reduced by exposure to chlordane, and β-HCH, linking to the increased activity of specific mitochondrial complex I and III, and decreased GSH level. We found that these mitochondrial dysfunctions were more significant in the exposure to the OCP mixture than the individual OCPs. On the mRNA transcription level, the individual OCPs mainly dysregulated the metabolic cycle (i.e., cs and acadm), whereas the OCP mixture disrupted the genes related to mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (i.e., sdha). Consequently, we demonstrate that the OCP mixture disrupts mitochondrial metabolism by a different molecular mechanism than the individual OCPs, which warrants further study to evaluate mitochondrial dysregulation by chronic exposure to the OCP mixture.

Interference with lactate metabolism by mmu-miR-320-3p via negatively regulating GLUT3 signaling in mouse Sertoli cells

Disruption of the nursery function in Sertoli cells (SCs) by reducing lactate production, a preferred energy substrate for developed germ cells (spermatocytes and spermatids), is tightly associated with spermatogenic failure such as SC-only syndrome (SCOS). However, whether this complicated pathogenesis is regulated by certain miRNAs at the post-transcriptional level remain fascinating but largely unknown. Here we show for the first time that mmu-miR-320-3p was exclusively expressed in murine SCs and this expression was significantly induced in busulphan-treated murine testis. The most efficient stimulatory germ cell types for the induction of apoptosis-elicited mmu-miR-320-3p expression were meiotic spermatocytes and haploid spermatids. Functionally, forced expression of the exogenous mmu-miR-320-3p in SCs compromises male fertility by causing oligozoospermia and defection of sperm mobility. Mechanistically, mmu-miR-320-3p negatively regulates lactate production of SCs by directly inhibiting glucose transporter 3 (GLUT3) expression. Thus, dysregulation of mmu-miR-320-3p/GLUT3 cascade and consequently of lactate deficiency may be a key molecular event contributing the germ cell loss by SC dysfunction. Future endeavor in the continuous investigation of this important circulating miRNA may shed novel insights into epigenetic regulation of SCs nursery function and the etiology of azoospermia, and offers novel therapeutic and prognostic targets for SCOS.

Lycopene ameliorates atrazine-induced oxidative damage in adrenal cortex of male rats by activation of the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway

Atrazine (ATZ) is one of the most commonly used herbicides contaminating plants, soil and water resources. Several strategies have been used to counteract ATZ toxicity. Here, we tested the hypothesis that lycopene could ameliorate ATZ-induced toxicity in the adrenal cortex. For this purpose, 35 adult male albino rats were randomized into five equal groups: untreated control, vehicle control (received 0.5 mL corn oil/day), lycopene (treated with lycopene dissolved in 0.5 mL corn oil, 10 mg/kg b.w./day), ATZ (received ATZ dissolved in 0.5 mL corn oil 300 mg/kg b.w./day), and ATZ + lycopene (treated with ATZ and lycopene at the same previously mentioned doses). All treatments were given by oral gavage for 4 weeks. We found that ATZ exposure significantly increased relative adrenal weight, plasma ACTH levels, and adrenal oxidative stress as manifested by elevated malondialdehyde levels, decreased reduced glutathione content and depressed antioxidant enzyme activities in adrenal cortex tissues with respect to control groups. Furthermore, the transcription of adrenal cortex nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), nuclear factor kappa B, and caspase-3 genes was increased significantly compared with the control groups. This was accompanied with DNA fragmentation and structural and ultrastructural changes in zona glomerulosa and zona fasiculata of the adrenal cortex. Notably, all these changes were partially ameliorated in rats treated concomitantly with ATZ and lycopene. Our results showed that lycopene exerts protective effects against ATZ-induced toxicity in rat adrenal cortex. These effects may be attributed to the antioxidative property of lycopene and its ability to activate the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway.

The epigenetic processes of meiosis in male mice are broadly affected by the widely used herbicide atrazine

BACKGROUND

Environmental factors such as pesticides can cause phenotypic changes in various organisms, including mammals. We studied the effects of the widely used herbicide atrazine (ATZ) on meiosis, a key step of gametogenesis, in male mice.

METHODS

Gene expression pattern was analysed by Gene-Chip array. Genome-wide mapping of H3K4me3 marks distribution was done by ChIP-sequencing of testis tissue using Illumina technologies. RT-qPCR was used to validate differentially expressed genes or differential peaks.

RESULTS

We demonstrate that exposure to ATZ reduces testosterone levels and the number of spermatozoa in the epididymis and delays meiosis. Using Gene-Chip and ChIP-Seq analysis of H3K4me3 marks, we found that a broad range of cellular functions, including GTPase activity, mitochondrial function and steroid-hormone metabolism, are affected by ATZ. Furthermore, treated mice display enriched histone H3K4me3 marks in regions of strong recombination (double-strand break sites), within very large genes and reduced marks in the pseudoautosomal region of X chromosome.

CONCLUSIONS

Our data demonstrate that atrazine exposure interferes with normal meiosis, which affects spermatozoa production.