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ToxSci Advance Access originally published online on December 28, 2005
Toxicological Sciences 2006 90(2):362-368; doi:10.1093/toxsci/kfj087
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© The Author 2005. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Toxicology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Endocrine Disrupting Chemical Atrazine Causes Degranulation through Gq/11 Protein-Coupled Neurosteroid Receptor in Mast Cells

Kaori Mizota and Hiroshi Ueda1

Division of Molecular Pharmacology and Neuroscience, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Japan

Received October 15, 2005; accepted December 20, 2005

We studied the effects of representative endocrine-disrupting chemicals on ß-hexosaminidase release from mast cells and their putative neurosteroid receptor involvement. Some endocrine-disrupting chemicals, such as amitrol, benzophenon, bisphenol A, pentachlorophenol, and tetrabromophenol A did not cause hexosaminidase release from RBL-2H3 cells, but they blocked the release by dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, a representative neurosteroid agonist. On the contrary, atrazine, which is a widely used herbicide, caused a rapid and concentration-dependent degranulation in the range between 10 nM and 1 µM in RBL-2H3 and peritoneal mast cells. Atrazine-induced degranulation was also evaluated by Alexa 488-annexin V binding to the phosphatidylserine, which is externalized during degranulation, and these actions were blocked by BSA-conjugated (membrane-impermeable) progesterone (PROG-BSA). The atrazine-induced ß-hexosaminidase release was characterized by various inhibitors including antisense-oligodeoxynucleotide for G{alpha}q/11, pertussis toxin, phospholipase C inhibitor U-73122, inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate receptor inhibitor xestospongin C and Ca2+ channel blocker lanthanum chloride. These analyses revealed that the degranulation is mediated by putative metabotropic neurosteroid receptor, Gq/11, phospholipase C and Ca2+ mobilization from intracellular stores. Having documented progesterone receptor-modulation of atrazine-induced mast cell degranulation in vitro, this response was evaluated in mice. Atrazine caused pain responses when injected in the foot pads of mice, and they were antagonized by local administration of PROG-BSA or diphenhydramine. Atrazine also caused PROG-BSA-reversible plasma extravasation. All these findings strongly suggest that herbicide atrazine exerts inflammatory activity through activation of putative Gq/11-coupled neurosteroid receptor and phospholipase C.

Key Words: degranulation; endocrine-disrupting chemical; extravasation; mast cell; neurosteroid.


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