Simazine is a triazine herbicide that is being widely applied worldwide and commonly detected in surface and groundwater. Despite its popular use in controlling weeds and algae, very limited information is available regarding its toxicity. In the present study, pregnant mice were orally exposed to low doses (0, 5, 50, or 500 μg/kg body weight per day) of simazine during gestation and lactation, during which no overt maternal toxic response was detected, and their offspring was assessed. Simazine-exposed male offspring showed decreased body, testicular, and epididymis weight, increased testicular apoptosis, and decreased sperm concentrations. Differentially-expressed genes in the testes of male offspring exposed to simazine were identified by DNA microarray, revealing 775 upregulated and 791 downregulated genes; among these, the relaxin-family peptide receptor 1 (Rxfp1), which is the receptor for relaxin hormone, was significantly downregulated. In addition, the expression of target genes in the relaxin pathway, including nitric oxide synthase 2 (Nos2) and Nos3, was significantly decreased in simazine-exposed F1 testes. Moreover, simazine inhibited NO release, and knockdown of Rxfp1 blocked the inhibitory action of simazine on NO production in testicular Leydig cells. Therefore, the present study provides a better understanding of the toxicities associated with the widely used herbicide simazine at environmentally relevant doses by demonstrating that maternal exposure interferes with the pleotropic relaxin-NO signaling pathway, impairing normal development and reproductive activity of male offspring.
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