DNA damage and effects on antioxidative enzymes in zebra fish (Danio rerio) induced by atrazine

The effect of atrazine (2-chloro-4-ethylamino-6-isopropylamino-1, 3, 5-triazine) on the activity of some antioxidative enzymes (superoxide dismutase, SOD; catalase, CAT; and guaiacol peroxidase, POD) and DNA damage induced by atrazine were investigated in zebra fish (Danio rerio). Zebra fish were exposed to four different concentrations of atrazine (0, 2.5, 5, and 10 mg/L) for 7, 14, and 21 days, with three replicates of 10 fishes per treatment. Compared to the controls, the SOD activity in the 2.5 mg/L treatment was markedly stimulated in 21 days, while the SOD activities in the 5 mg/L treatment was stimulated at first and then inhibited. The change of CAT activity at 2.5 mg/L was similar to the SOD activity at 2.5 mg/L. The POD activities in the 2.5, 5, and 10 mg/L treatment were markedly higher on days 14 and 21 compared with the controls. The olive tail moments of single-cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE) of zebra fish enhanced after treatment of different doses on days 7, 14, and 21, and significant differences were found compared to the controls. In conclusion, these findings showed the effect regularity of atrazine to zebra fish, and also provide the basis for the future research of adverse effects induced by atrazine in aquatic ecosystems.