Demasculinization and feminization of male gonads by atrazine: Consistent effects across vertebrate classes

• Autores: Hayes, Tyrone B.; Anderson, Lloyd L.; Beasley, Val R.; de Solla, Shane R.; Iguchi, Taisen; Ingraham, Holly; Kestemont, Patrick; Kniewald, Jasna; Kniewald, Zlatko; Langlois, Valerie; Luque, Enrique Hugo; McCoy, Krista A.; Muñoz de Toro, Monica Milagros; Oka, Tomohiro; Oliveira, Cleida A; Orton, Frances; Ruby, Sylvia; Suzawa, Miyuki; Tavera Mendoza, Luz E.; Trudeau, Vance L.; Victor Costa, Anna Bolivar; Willingham, Emily
• Año de publicación: 2011
• Idioma: inglés
• Tipo de recurso: artículo
• Materia: ATRAZINE; ENDOCRINE DISRUPTOR; GONADS
• Institución: Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas

Atrazine is the most commonly detected pesticide contaminant of ground water, surface water, and precipitation. Atrazine is also an endocrine disruptor that, among other effects, alters male reproductive tissues when animals are exposed during development. Here, we apply the nine so-called "Hill criteria" (Strength, Consistency, Specificity, Temporality, Biological Gradient, Plausibility, Coherence, Experiment, and Analogy) for establishing cause-effect relationships to examine the evidence for atrazine as an endocrine disruptor that demasculinizes and feminizes the gonads of male vertebrates. We present experimental evidence that the effects of atrazine on male development are consistent across all vertebrate classes examined and we present a state of the art summary of the mechanisms by which atrazine acts as an endocrine disruptor to produce these effects. Atrazine demasculinizes male gonads producing testicular lesions associated with reduced germ cell numbers in teleost fish, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals, and induces partial and/or complete feminization in fish, amphibians, and reptiles. These effects are strong (statistically significant), consistent across vertebrate classes, and specific. Reductions in androgen levels and the induction of estrogen synthesis - demonstrated in fish, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals - represent plausible and coherent mechanisms that explain these effects. Biological gradients are observed in several of the cited studies, although threshold doses and patterns vary among species. Given that the effects on the male gonads described in all of these experimental studies occurred only after atrazine exposure, temporality is also met here. Thus the case for atrazine as an endocrine disruptor that demasculinizes and feminizes male vertebrates meets all nine of the "Hill criteria".
Fil: Hayes, Tyrone B.. University of California; Estados Unidos
Fil: Anderson, Lloyd L.. University of Iowa; Estados Unidos
Fil: Beasley, Val R.. University of Illinois at Urbana; Estados Unidos
Fil: de Solla, Shane R.. Wildlife and Landscape Science Directorate; Canadá
Fil: Iguchi, Taisen. National Institute for Basic Biology; Japón
Fil: Ingraham, Holly. University of California; Estados Unidos
Fil: Kestemont, Patrick. Université de Namur; Bélgica
Fil: Kniewald, Jasna. University of Zagreb; Croacia
Fil: Kniewald, Zlatko. University of Zagreb; Croacia
Fil: Langlois, Valerie. Royal Military College; Canadá
Fil: Luque, Enrique Hugo. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas. Departamento de Fisiología. Laboratorio de Endocrinología y Tumores Hormonodependientes; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe; Argentina
Fil: McCoy, Krista A.. University of South Florida; Estados Unidos
Fil: Muñoz de Toro, Monica Milagros. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas. Departamento de Fisiología. Laboratorio de Endocrinología y Tumores Hormonodependientes; Argentina
Fil: Oka, Tomohiro. IDEA Consultants; Japón
Fil: Oliveira, Cleida A. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais; Brasil
Fil: Orton, Frances. Colegio Universitario de Londres; Reino Unido
Fil: Ruby, Sylvia. Concordia University; Canadá
Fil: Suzawa, Miyuki. University of California; Estados Unidos
Fil: Tavera Mendoza, Luz E.. Harvard Medical School; Estados Unidos
Fil: Trudeau, Vance L.. University of Ottawa; Canadá
Fil: Victor Costa, Anna Bolivar. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais; Brasil
Fil: Willingham, Emily. No especifica;