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Title: Prenatal Exposure to Di(2-Ethylhexyl) Phthalate Causes Long-Term Transgenerational Effects on Female Reproduction in Mice.

Authors: Brehm, Emily; Rattan, Saniya; Gao, Liying; Flaws, Jodi A

Published In Endocrinology, (2018 Feb 01)

Abstract: Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is a plasticizer in many consumer products. Although DEHP is a known endocrine disruptor, little is known about the effects of DEHP exposure on female reproduction. Thus, this study tested the hypothesis that prenatal DEHP exposure affects follicle numbers, estrous cyclicity, and hormone levels in multiple generations of mice. Pregnant CD-1 mice were orally dosed with corn oil (vehicle control) or DEHP (20 and 200 µg/kg/d and 500 and 750 mg/kg/d) from gestational day 11 until birth. The F1 females were mated with untreated males to create the F2 generation, and the F2 females were mated with untreated males to create the F3 generation. At 1 year, ovaries, hormones, and estrous cycles were analyzed in each generation. Prenatal DEHP exposure altered estrous cyclicity (750 mg/kg/d), increased the presence of ovarian cysts (750 mg/kg/d), and decreased total follicle numbers (750 mg/kg/d) in the F1 generation. It also decreased anogenital distance (200 µg/kg/d) and altered follicle numbers (200 µg/kg/d and 500 mg/kg/d) in the F2 generation, and it altered estrous cyclicity (20 and 200 µg/kg/d and 500 and 750 mg/kg/d) and decreased folliculogenesis (200 µg/kg/d and 500 mg/kg/d) in the F3 generation. Further, prenatal DEHP increased estradiol levels (F1 and F3), decreased testosterone levels (F1, F2, and F3), decreased progesterone levels (F2), altered gonadotropin hormone levels (F1 and F3), and decreased inhibin B levels (F1 and F3). Collectively, these data show that prenatal exposure to DEHP has multigenerational and transgenerational effects on female reproduction and it may accelerate reproductive aging.

PubMed ID: 29228129 Exiting the NIEHS site

MeSH Terms: Animals; Diethylhexyl Phthalate/toxicity*; Endocrine Disruptors/toxicity*; Estradiol/metabolism; Estrous Cycle; Female; Humans; Male; Maternal Exposure/adverse effects*; Mice; Ovary/drug effects*; Ovary/metabolism; Ovary/physiopathology; Pregnancy; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects/etiology; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects/metabolism; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects/physiopathology*; Reproduction/drug effects; Testosterone/metabolism

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