Immunotoxicity of herbicide atrazine and its effect on immune function of rats / 吉林大学学报(医学版)

ABSTRACT

Objective: To detecet the effect of herbicide atrazine (ATR) on immunologic function of the rats, and to clarify the immunotoxicity of ATR. Methods: A total of 32 Wistar rats were randomly divided into control group, low, middle and high doses of ATR groups (ra=8); the rats in various groups were given 0, 5, 25, and 125 mg · kg-1 ATR for 28 d, respectively. The body weights and spleen indexes of the rats in various groups were detected; HE staining was used to observe the morphology of spleen tissue of the rats in various groups; lymphocyte transformation assay was used to determine the lymphocyte transformation rates in spleen cells of the rats in various groups; the killing activities of NK cells in spleen cells of the rats in various groups were detected; flow cytometry was used to detect the percentages of CD3 and CD8 1 T cells in spleen cells of the rats in various groups; ELISA assay was used to detect the serum levels of interleukin-1 (IL-1) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) of the rats in various groups. Results: Compared with control group, the body weights of the rats in different doses of ATR groups had no statistically significant differences (P>0. 05). Compared with control group, the spleen indexes of the rats in low and middle doses of ATR groups had no statistically significant differences (P>0. 05), and the spleen index of the rats in high dose of ATR group was decreased (P0. 05). The spleen lymphocyte transformation assay results showed that compared with control group, the lymphocyte transformation rates of spleen cells of the rats in low and middle doses of ATR groups had no significant differences (P>0. 05); the lymphocyte transformation rate of spleen cells of the rats in high dose of ATR group was decreased (P0. 05), and the percentages of CD3 1 and CD8 1 T cells of the rats in high dose of ATR group were decreased (P0. 05), and the serum levels of IL-1 and IL-6 of the rats in high dose of ATR group were increased (P<0. 05). Conclusion: High dose of ART can induce the obvious immunotoxicity.