Endocrine disruption caused by oral administration of atrazine in European quail (Coturnix coturnix coturnix)

• Published in: Comparative biochemistry and physiology. Toxicology & pharmacology 2012-11, Vol.156 (3-4), p.159-165
• Main Authors: de la Casa-Resino, Irene, Valdehita, Ana, Soler, Francisco, Navas, José María, Pérez-López, Marcos
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Administration, Oral; amphibians; Animals; Aryl Hydrocarbon Hydroxylases - genetics; Aryl Hydrocarbon Hydroxylases - metabolism; Atrazine; Atrazine - administration & dosage; Atrazine - adverse effects; biotransformation; Coturnix - genetics; Coturnix - metabolism; Coturnix coturnix; CYP1A4; cytochrome P-450; Cytochrome P-450 CYP1A1 - metabolism; Endocrine Disruptors - administration & dosage; Endocrine Disruptors - adverse effects; Environmental Exposure - adverse effects; Estradiol; Estradiol - blood; Estrogen Receptor alpha - blood; Estrogen Receptor alpha - genetics; estrogen receptors; estrogenic properties; Ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase; European quail; Female; females; fish; Herbicides - administration & dosage; Herbicides - adverse effects; lethal dose 50; Liver - drug effects; Liver - enzymology; males; messenger RNA; oral administration; quails; rats; reproduction; reproductive toxicology; RNA, Messenger - genetics; RNA, Messenger - metabolism; sexual maturity; Vitellogenin; Vitellogenins - genetics; Vitellogenins - metabolism; wild birds
• ISSN: 1532-0456; 1878-1659
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpc.2012.07.006

The widely used herbicide atrazine (ATZ) has been reported to exhibit reproductive toxicity in rats, fish and amphibians, with an avian LD50 of 5000mg/kg. In the present work, ATZ was administered as a single oral dose of 25 or 100mg/kg to female European quail (Coturnix coturnix coturnix) at days 0, 5 and 10 of the experiment, being the animals sampled at days 15, 30 and 45. ATZ significantly increased the expression of hepatic estrogen receptor α (ERα) at both doses at day 30. An important increase was also observed in plasma 17β-estradiol (E2) concentrations. ATZ at 100mg/kg increased the circulating concentration of vitellogenin (Vtg), but this effect was not related with an increase in hepatic Vtg mRNA levels. ATZ had no effect on the hepatic expression of both cytochrome P450 1A4 (CYP1A4) or the related biotransformation activity ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD). These results led to the conclusion that ATZ provokes an estrogenic effect in sexually mature females of European quail. Further studies are necessary to establish the effect on sexual development or reproduction of female and male birds in the wild.