ABSTRACT
In the present study our objective was to adapt a competitive enzyme immunoassay (EIA) for the determination of atrazine in animal tissues (liver and kidney). Female Wistar rats were administered through gavage with a single dose of atrazine (500 or 1000 mg/kg body weight) and sacrificed 24, 48 h and 7 days following the exposure. Using liver tissue samples the extraction procedure was improved. The atrazine concentrations measured in the liver were higher than those found in the kidney, but both can be ranked as low compared with the amount of the administered doses. These data confirm that tissue retention is minimal. Further studies are necessary in order to make an overall evaluation concerning the amount of atrazine retained in the organism. We consider that the competitive EIA may be a promising technique for epidemiological screening of pesticides.
Subject(s)
Atrazine/analysis , Herbicides/analysis , Kidney/metabolism , Liver/metabolism , Pesticide Residues/analysis , Administration, Oral , Animals , Atrazine/administration & dosage , Female , Herbicides/administration & dosage , Immunoenzyme Techniques , Rats , Rats, Wistar , SoftwareABSTRACT
The p53 expression in peripheral lymphocytes of rats chronically exposed to atrazine was investigated. The experiment was performed in female Wistar rats. Atrazine was administrated in different doses (2.7 and 5.4 mg/kg body weight), each dose once a day, 5 days per week, for 6 and 12 months. The percentage of rats peripheral lymphocytes expressing p53 protein was evaluated by immunocytochemical technique, using a monoclonal antibody (clone PAb 122) against a common epitope, both for the wild type and the mutant p53 protein. The results indicate that in the atrazine long-term administration, the serum level of atrazine is associated with: (i) Significantly increased percentage of lymphocytes expressing p53 protein for all treated animals; (ii) different p53 intracellular compartmentalization (nucleus and cytoplasm), depending on dose and time of atrazine administration. The present study suggests that atrazine modifies the p53 expression, which could confirm the clastogenicity of this herbicide, and that the detection of the p53 protein may serve as a biomarker for the long-term exposure to atrazine.
