An integrated host-microbiome response to atrazine exposure mediates toxicity in Drosophila

The gut microbiome produces vitamins, nutrients, and neurotransmitters, and helps to modulate the host immune system—and also plays a major role in the metabolism of many exogenous compounds, including drugs and chemical toxicants. However, the extent to which specific microbial species or communities modulate hazard upon exposure to chemicals remains largely opaque. Focusing on the effects of collateral dietary exposure to the widely used herbicide atrazine, we applied integrated omics and phenotypic screening to assess the role of the gut microbiome in modulating host resilience in Drosophila melanogaster. Transcriptional and metabolic responses to these compounds are sex-specific and depend strongly on the presence of the commensal microbiome. Sequencing the genomes of all abundant microbes in the fly gut revealed an enzymatic pathway responsible for atrazine detoxification unique to Acetobacter tropicalis. We find that Acetobacter tropicalis alone, in gnotobiotic animals, is sufficient to rescue increased atrazine toxicity to wild-type, conventionally reared levels. This work points toward the derivation of biotic strategies to improve host resilience to environmental chemical exposures, and illustrates the power of integrative omics to identify pathways responsible for adverse health outcomes.

Layer-by-Layer Encapsulation of Herbicide-Degrading Bacteria for Improved Surface Properties and Compatibility in Soils

E. coli cells overexpressing the enzyme atrazine chlorohydrolase were coated using layer-by-layer self-assembly. The polymeric coating was designed to improve the surface properties of the cells and create positively charged, ecologically safe, bio-hybrid capsules that can efficiently degrade the herbicide atrazine in soils. The physio-chemical properties of the bacteria/polymer interface were studied as a function of the polymeric composition of the shell and its thickness. Characterization of cell viability, enzyme activity, morphology, and size of the bio-capsules was done using fluorescence spectroscopy, BET and zeta potential measurements and electron microscopy imaging. Out of several polyelectrolytes, the combination of polydiallyldimethylammonium chloride and polysodium 4-styrenesulfonate improved the surface properties and activity of the cells to the greatest extent. The resulting bio-hybrid capsules were stable, well-dispersed, with a net positive charge and a large surface area compared to the uncoated bacteria. These non-viable, bio-hybrid capsules also exhibited a kinetic advantage in comparison with uncoated cells. When added to soils, they exhibited continuous activity over a six-week period and atrazine concentrations declined by 84%. Thus, the concept of layer-by-layer coated bacteria is a promising avenue for the design of new and sustainable bioremediation and biocatalytic platforms.

Uji Efektivitas Campuran Herbisida Berbahan Aktif Atrazin dan Topramezon terhadap Beberapa Jenis Gulma

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of mixing herbicides with the active ingredients atrazine and topramezone in controlling weeds and to determine the nature of the mixture of the two active ingredients. This research was conducted in a plastic house in Natar District, South Lampung Regency from October 2020 - January 2021. The study was arranged in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD). The treatments consisted of three types of herbicides with six dosage levels of the active ingredients, namely the single herbicide Atrazine 300 g/l (0, 37.5, 75, 150, 300, and 600 g ai ha-1), Topramezon 10 g/l (0. 1.25 , 2.5, 5, 10, and 20 g ai ha-1), and the herbicide mixture of Atrazine 300 g/l + Topramezone 10 g/l (0. 38.75, 77.50, 155, 310, and 620 g ai ha-1) , and repeated 6 times. The target weeds included broadleaf weeds (Ageratum conyzoides and Synedrella nodiflora), grass groups (Digitaria ciliaris, Echinochloa colonum, and Eleusine indica), and the puzzle group (Cyperus iria). The herbicides atrazine and topramezone have different ways of working so that the analytical method used is the Multiplicative Survival Model (MSM) method. The results showed that mixing the herbicide Atrazine 300 g/l + Topramezon 10 g/l had an expected LD50 value of 46.28 g ai ha-1 and a treatment LD50 of 27.22 g ai ha-1 with a co-toxicity value of 1.7 (Co-toxicity > 1) so that it is synergistic.Key words: Atrazin, Topramezon, mixing herbicide, Multiplicative Survival Model, weed, LD50

Mechanisms of Neurotoxicity Associated with Exposure to the Herbicide Atrazine

Atrazine is an herbicide commonly used on crops to prevent broadleaf weeds. Atrazine is an endocrine-disrupting chemical mainly targeting the neuroendocrine system and associated axes, especially as a reproductive toxicant through attenuation of the luteinizing hormone (LH). Current regulatory levels for chronic exposure are based on no observed adverse effect levels (NOAELs) of these LH alterations in rodent studies. Atrazine has also been studied for its effects on the central nervous system and neurotransmission. The European Union (EU) recognized the health risks of atrazine exposure as a public health concern with no way to contain contamination of drinking water. As such, the EU banned atrazine use in 2003. The United States recently reapproved atrazine’s use in the fall of 2020. Research has shown that there is a wide array of adverse health effects that are seen across multiple models, exposure times, and exposure periods leading to dysfunction in many different systems in the body with most pointing to a neuroendocrine target of toxicity. There is evidence of crosstalk between systems that can be affected by atrazine exposure, causing widespread dysfunction and leading to changes in behavior even with no direct link to the hypothalamus. The hypothetical mechanism of toxicity of atrazine endocrine disruption and neurotoxicity can therefore be described as a web of pathways that are influenced through changes occurring in each and their multiple feedback loops with further research needed to refine NOAELs for neurotoxic outcomes.

The Herbicide Atrazine Potentiates Angiotensin II-Induced Aldosterone Synthesis and Release From Adrenal Cells

Atrazine is one of the most commonly used pre-emergence and early post-emergence herbicides in the world. We have shown previously that atrazine does not directly stimulate the pituitary or adrenal to trigger hormone release but acts centrally to activate a stress-like activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. In doing so, atrazine treatment has been shown to cause adrenal morphology changes characteristic of repeated stress. In this study, adrenals from atrazine treated and stressed animals were directly compared after 4 days of atrazine treatment or restraint stress. Both atrazine and stressed animals displayed reduced adrenocortical zona glomerulosa thickness and aldosterone synthase (CYP11B2) expression, indicative of repeated adrenal stimulation by adrenocorticotropic hormone. To determine if reduced CYP11B2 expression resulted in attenuated aldosterone synthesis, stressed and atrazine treated animals were challenged with angiotensin II (Ang II). As predicted, stressed animals produced less aldosterone compared to control animals when stimulated. However, atrazine treated animals had higher circulating aldosterone concentrations compared to both stressed and control groups. Ang II-induced aldosterone release was also potentiated in atrazine pretreated human adrenocortical carcinoma cells (H295R). Atrazine pretreated did not alter the expression of the rate limiting steroidogenic StAR protein or angiotensin II receptor 1. Atrazine treated animals also presented with higher basal blood pressure than vehicle treated control animals suggesting sustained elevations in circulating aldosterone levels. Our results demonstrate that treatment with the widely used herbicide, atrazine, directly increases stimulated production of aldosterone in adrenocortical cells independent of expression changes to rate limiting steroidogenic enzymes.

Toxicological and behavioral impacts of atrazine on Trichogrammatidae (Hymenoptera) in choice tests

Weeds should be controlled with low impact methods and selective agrochemicals that have little or no effect on non-target organisms. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of the herbicide atrazine (triazine class) on 10 Trichogrammatidae (Hymenoptera) species. A female of 10 species of these natural enemies was individually placed in a glass test tube (free-choice test) with two paper cards containing 45 Anagasta (Ephestia) kuehniella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) eggs (treatment and control), with 10 replications. The cards were sprayed with the herbicide atrazine at 8.07 L/ha; the control was sprayed with distilled water. Parasitism by these natural enemies was allowed for 48 h. Atrazine changes the behavior of female parasitoids, reducing the parasitism (≈ 71 %) and emergence (≈ 74 %) rates and sex ratio (≈ 74 %) of the Trichogrammatidae species, except for Trichogramma galloi and T. bennetti. No females emerged from eggs parasitized by T. acacioi, Trichogrammatoidea annulata, T. atopovirilia, T. bruni, T. brasiliensis, T. demoraesi, and T. soaresi with atrazine. The results revealed that atrazine herbicide is harmless to T. bennetti and T. galloi, but it was moderately harmful (80 – 99 % reduction) to the other Trichogrammatidae species based on the parasitism and emergence rates.

Hercide Atrazine Alters the Microbiota of the Filametous Green Alga Cladophora sp. Cultured from Thailand

The attached green alga Cladophora known to harbor microbiota that play important roles in ecosystem, is one of the most common freshwater filamentous green algae in rivers globally, including those in the northern part of Thailand. These rivers mostly run through agricultural regions where herbicides are heavily used to improve crop quality and quantity. The extensively-used herbicide atrazine persists in soil sediments through transport by surface runoff to rivers. The effect of such herbicide contamination on Cladophora microbiota in Thailand have not been investigated. To acquire this information, 16S rDNA amplicons were used to compare microbiota of Cladophora sp. cultures treated with a spectrum of atrazine concentrations. The results showed that the Cladophora microbiome included at least 106 possible Operational taxonomic units (OTUs) representing twelve bacterial phyla which are Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria, Armatimonadetes, Chloroflexi, Cyanobacteria, Deinococcus-Thermus, Epsilonbacteraeota, Nitrospirae, Patescibacteria, Planctomycetes, Proteobacteria, and WPS-2, representing both core and local algal bacteria. The presence of atrazine was also correlated with changes in richness of bacterial taxa suggesting that these algal epibiotic bacteria were differently affected by atrazine treatments.

EFFECTS OF SELECTIVE HERBICIDE, ATRAZINE ON THE RHIZOBIUM POPULATION AND NODULATION OF GROUNDNUT (ARACHIS HYPOGEAE)

Atrazine is a selective herbicide used to control weeds in farm operations. The effect of different concentrations of atrazine on Rhizobium population and nodulation in groundnut (Arachis hypogeae) was investigated using Yeast Extract Mannitol Agar (YEMA). The test crop was planted for 90 days after the soil was treated with the various concentration of atrazine. The following parameters; Rhizobium count, nodule count, plant height and germination percentage were observed. The total Rhizobium count obtained at 0% atrazine treatment has 3.0 x 108, 0.1% has 2.9 x 108, 0.5% has 2.5 x 108, 1% has 2.0 x 108, and 3% has 1.4 x 108 all in cfu/ml while the number of root nodules formed was also counted after uproot which was; 0% atrazine treated has 50 nodules, 0.1% has 50 nodules, 0.5% has 30 nodules, 1% has 23 nodules and 3% has 19 nodules. The study revealed that the higher the atrazine concentration the lower the population of Rhizobium, the numbers of root nodules increased with decrease in atrazine concentration and Plant height, root length and germination percentage was also affected adversely by increased in atrazine concentrations.