Metabolism of the S-triazine herbizide atrazine in early life stages of the zebrafish, Danio rerio

Abstract

Increasing anthropogenic pollution of the environment can have adverse consequences for organisms which are more subtle than direct toxicity. Detectable levels of persistent pollutants remain even if the substance is no longer used. An example is atrazine, a herbicide in common use throughout the world but one which has been banned in Germany since 1992. As a lipophilic substance, atrazine is bioconcentrated which may lead to chronic intoxication or physiological stress. In order to withstand chemical stressors, many organisms possess detoxication enzymes, for example certain P-450 monoxygenases and glutathione S-transferases. But detoxication demands cellular energy, and in developing organisms, such as fish embryos which have particularly high energy needs for sustaining growth and organogenesis, the additional energy needs of detoxication may present additional stress. In this study, uptake of atrazine, cytochrome P-450 binding spectra, effects on microsomal and soluble glutathione S-transferase activities, and the initial detoxication steps of atrazine via microsomal and soluble glutathione S-transferases were studied using early life stages of zebrafish.