Short communicationPerformance of a novel atrazine-induced cerebellar toxicity in quail (Coturnix C. coturnix): Activating PXR/CAR pathway responses and disrupting cytochrome P450 homeostasis

•Atrazine induces the cerebellar toxicity.•Atrazine triggers the PXR/CAR pathway responses in cerebellum.•Atrazine disrupts the cytochrome P450 homeostasis in cerebellum.•Atrazine impacts the transcription of CYPs via activating the NXRs responses.

Atrazine is well known to be a biologically hazardous substance with toxic effects, but atrazine-induced neurotoxicity remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the mechanisms of atrazine-induced cerebellar toxicity. To determine atrazine-exerted potential neurotoxicity, quails were treated with 50, 250 and 500 mg/kg atrazine by gavage administration for 45 days. Notably, the changes of cytochrome P450 enzyme system (CYP450s) were observed in atrazine-exposed quails. The contents of cytochrome P450 (CYP450) and Cytochrome b5 (Cyt b5) and the activities of NADPH-cytochrome c reductase (NCR), aminopyrin N-demethylase (APND) and aniline-4-hydeoxylase (AH) were increased and erythromycin N-demethylase (ERND) was decreased in quail cerebellum. Nuclear xenobiotic receptors (NXRs) and the transcriptions of NXRs-related target molecules were influenced in cerebellum. Atrazine disrupted the CYP450s balance in quail cerebellum. These results suggested that atrazine-induced cerebellar toxicity in birds was associated with activating PXR/CAR pathway responses and disrupting cytochrome P450 homeostasis. This study provided novel evidences that atrazine exposure induced cerebellar toxicity.

Graphical abstractAtrazine (ATR) exposure induced the cerebellar toxicity. ATR caused CYP450s disruption in quail cerebellum. ATR regulated the CYP450s homeostasis by activation of NXRs responses and inducing the transcription of the CYP450 isoforms.Download high-res image (227KB)Download full-size image