Prolonged exposure to the herbicide atrazine promotes kidney fibrosis by activating Wnt/β‐catenin signaling in rats

Abstract

AbstractExposure to atrazine (ATR), a widely‐used herbicide, is a potential harmful to human health due to its long‐term environmental persistence and bioaccumulation. The effects of chronic exposure to ATR on renal function in rats were evaluated in this research. Female Sprague–Dawley rats at 4 weeks of age were treated with different concentrations of ATR for 6 months. No significant differences  in terms of renal functions were observed after ATR treatment. In histopathological examination of the kidney, Hematoxylin–Eosin staining indicated the development of degenerative changes in a dose‐dependent manner. The results revealed that ATR exposure leads to renal fibrosis and that activation of the Wnt/β‐catenin pathway plays a potential role in ATR‐related renal fibrosis. Levels of transforming growth factor (TGF)‐β and TGF‐β1 levels and the reactive oxygen species were significantly upregulated after ATR treatment. In conclusion, long‐term exposure to ATR could cause kidney fibrosis, which is the result of epithelial‐mesenchymal transition caused by inflammation and oxidative stress.