Carcinogenesis, Teratogenesis & Mutagenesis

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Effects of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate on expression of apoptosis genes and oncogenes in rat ovary

TAN Qin1,2,QIN Xiao-yun1,2,XU Xin-yun2,*,WU De-sheng2,YANG Xi-fei2,HUANG Hai-yan2,ZHOU Li2,HUANG Xin-feng2   

  1. School of Life Science, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060
  • Received:2014-05-23 Revised:2014-09-02 Online:2014-09-30 Published:2014-09-30

Abstract:

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the reproductive toxicity of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), and to assess the expressions of apoptosis genes and oncogenes after DEHP treatment in female SD rats. METHODS:Female SD rats were treated with different doses of DEHP (corn oil group used as control,DEHP treatment including 100 mg/kg,500 mg/kg,1 500 mg/kg) for 6 weeks. The expression levels of apoptosis genes(Bcl-2,Caspase-3,Caspase-8,Caspase-9) and oncogenes (c-fos and k-ras) mRNA were determined by real-time quantitative PCR. RESULTS:Bcl-2 expression level at DEHP 1 500 mg/kg group was significantly decreased in comparison with control group(P<0.01). The expression levels of Caspase-3,Caspase-8 and Caspase-9 mRNA were significantly increased in rat ovarian tissue after DEHP treatment (P<0.05 or P<0.01). c-fos mRNA expression levels showed no significant difference compared with control. k-ras mRNA expression levels increased significantly in DEHP 500 mg/kg and 1 500 mg/kg treatment groups(P<0.01). CONCLUSION:DEHP could activate Caspase apoptosis pathway through the mitochondrial pathway,resulting in apoptosis of ovarian cells,leading to further damage of ovarian function and reproductive endocrine function. DEHP could also activate oncogene expression,therefore DEHP could possess potential carcinogenesis risk.

Key words: di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, reproductive toxicity, apoptosis genes, oncogenes