Exposure to atrazine during puberty reduces sperm viability, increases weight gain and alters the expression of key metabolic genes in the liver of male mice

Abstract

Atrazine (ATZ) is one of the most widely used herbicides worldwide and is a common contaminant in human drinking water. It disrupts metabolic pathways in plants, and has metabolic and reproductive effects in vertebrates, including humans. Few studies have investigated the effects of exposure to low doses of ATZ, especially during sexual development in males. In this study, we exposed C57BL/6J male mice from weaning for 8 weeks to drinking water containing 0.5 mg kg -1 bodyweight (BW) day -1 ATZ, the 'no observed effect' level used by the Australian government, or a 10-fold higher dose (5 mg kg -1 BW day -1 ). Mice treated with the low dose of ATZ showed increased total and cumulative weight ..