Morphological effects of acute and chronic atrazine exposure in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss).

The effects of the herbicide atrazine (2-Chlor-4-ethyl-amino-6-isopropyl-amino-s-triazine) on the kidney of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) were studied by exposing them to sublethal concentrations of 1.4 and 2.8 mg atrazine per liter of water for 96 h (acute exposure) respectively to 5, 10, 20, 40, and 80 micrograms/L for a period of 28 days (chronic exposure). Alterations of the different components of renal corpuscles and of renal tubules, as well as an increase in cells with mitotic figures in renal hemopoietic interstitium were constant features at lower chronic (5, 10, 20, 40 micrograms/L) exposure; necrosis of endothelial cells and renal hemopoietic tissue were prominent at concentrations of 80 micrograms/L, and 1.4 and 2.8 mg/L atrazine.