DNA damage and effects on antioxidative enzymes in earthworm (Eisenia foetida) induced by atrazine

To evaluate atrazine (2-chloro-4-ethylamino-6-isopropylamino-1, 3, 5-triazine) ecotoxicology in soil, the effect of atrazine on the activity of antioxidative enzymes (superoxide dismutase, SOD; catalase, CAT; and guaiacol peroxidase, POD) and DNA damage induced by atrazine were investigated in earthworms. Atrazine was added to artificial soil at rates of 0, 2.5, 5 and 10 mg per kg of soil. Earthworm tissues exposed to each treatment were collected on the 7th, 14th, 21st, and 28th day of the treatment. Compared to the controls, the CAT activity was stimulated at 2.5 mg kg−1 treatment except on the 14th day, and inhibited at 5, 10 mg kg−1 atrazine except 5 mg kg−1 on the 28th day and 10 mg kg−1 on the 21st day; the overall SOD activity was inhibited, while the POD activities were stimulated by all atrazine concentrations in 28 days. The olive tail moments of single-cell gel electrophoresis of coelomocytes, as an indication of DNA damage, were increased after treatment with different doses of atrazine on the 7th, 14th, 21st, and 28th day, and significant differences were found compared to the controls. In conclusion, atrazine induces oxidative stress and DNA damage on earthworms, and the adverse effects may be the important mechanisms of its toxicity to earthworms.