Toxic Effects of Atrazine on Liver and Underlying Mechanism: A Review

Atrazine (ATR) is one kind of herbicide, which is widely used for weeding of dry crops such as corn, sorghum, and fruit trees. Due to its long half-life in soil and refractory degradation in water, it is easy to cause continuous pollution to the environment. ATR can enter the human body through drinking water, diet, etc., causing damage to multiple organs. The liver is the main target organ for ATR metabolism and toxicity. Studies have found that ATR can accumulate in the liver, and a wide variety of adverse health effects have been seen in studies across multiple models, exposure times, and exposure periods. Research has shown that ATR can accumulate in the liver, and continuous ATR exposure causes liver swelling and hepatocyte damage. ATR can cause oxidative stress and damage the liver, affecting apoptosis and autophagy. ATR exposure may cause change in gene expression in hepatocyte function. The existing research on liver damage caused by ATR exposure is based on toxicological experimental summaries, lacking a systematic review from in vivo to in vitro and from macro to micro-perspectives.