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Vol 49, No 4 (2011)
Original paper
Submitted: 2012-01-16
Published online: 2012-01-16
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Di(n-butyl) phthalate has no effect on the rat prepubertal testis despite its estrogenic activity in vitro

Eliza Filipiak, Renata Walczak-Jędrzejowska, Mariusz Krupiński, Elżbieta Oszukowska, Katarzyna Marchlewska, Jerzy Długoński, Krzysztof Kula, Jolanta Słowikowska-Hilczer
DOI: 10.5603/FHC.2011.0092
·
Folia Histochem Cytobiol 2011;49(4):685-689.

open access

Vol 49, No 4 (2011)
ORIGINAL PAPERS
Submitted: 2012-01-16
Published online: 2012-01-16

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess the impact of di(n-butyl) phthalate (DBP) on the rat’s prepubertal testis. Male Wistar rats were given daily subcutaneous injections with DBP (20 or 200 μg) or a vehicle from the 5th to the 15th postnatal day (pd). On the 16th pd, the rats were euthanized, and the testes were dissected, weighed, and paraffin embedded. The blood was collected to determine the serum levels of testosterone (T), estradiol (E) and FSH. The following parameters were assessed in the testis sections: diameter and length of seminiferous tubules (st), numbers of spermatogonia A + intermediate + B (A/In/B), preleptotene spermatocytes (PL), leptotene + zygotene + pachytene spermatocytes (L/Z/PA) and Sertoli cells per testis, percentage of st containing gonocytes or pachytene spermatocytes or lumen. An estrogenicity in vitro test was performed by means of a transgenic yeast strain expressing human estrogen receptor alpha. At both doses, DBP had no influence on testis and seminal vesicle weight, st diameter and length, number of germ and Sertoli cells per testis, percentage of st containing gonocytes or pachytene spermatocytes or lumen. DBP did not change E, T or FSH serum levels. The in vitro yeast screen showed that DBP was a weak estrogenic compound, approximately six to seven orders of magnitude less potent than 17β-estradiol. In conclusion, exposure of a rat to DBP in doses 100 or 1,000-fold higher than a Tolerable Daily Intake for humans had no effect on its testicular development. (Folia Histochemica et Cytobiologica 2011; Vol. 49, No. 4, pp. 685–689)

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess the impact of di(n-butyl) phthalate (DBP) on the rat’s prepubertal testis. Male Wistar rats were given daily subcutaneous injections with DBP (20 or 200 μg) or a vehicle from the 5th to the 15th postnatal day (pd). On the 16th pd, the rats were euthanized, and the testes were dissected, weighed, and paraffin embedded. The blood was collected to determine the serum levels of testosterone (T), estradiol (E) and FSH. The following parameters were assessed in the testis sections: diameter and length of seminiferous tubules (st), numbers of spermatogonia A + intermediate + B (A/In/B), preleptotene spermatocytes (PL), leptotene + zygotene + pachytene spermatocytes (L/Z/PA) and Sertoli cells per testis, percentage of st containing gonocytes or pachytene spermatocytes or lumen. An estrogenicity in vitro test was performed by means of a transgenic yeast strain expressing human estrogen receptor alpha. At both doses, DBP had no influence on testis and seminal vesicle weight, st diameter and length, number of germ and Sertoli cells per testis, percentage of st containing gonocytes or pachytene spermatocytes or lumen. DBP did not change E, T or FSH serum levels. The in vitro yeast screen showed that DBP was a weak estrogenic compound, approximately six to seven orders of magnitude less potent than 17β-estradiol. In conclusion, exposure of a rat to DBP in doses 100 or 1,000-fold higher than a Tolerable Daily Intake for humans had no effect on its testicular development. (Folia Histochemica et Cytobiologica 2011; Vol. 49, No. 4, pp. 685–689)
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Keywords

DBP; rat; spermatogenesis; testis; yeast estrogen screen

About this article
Title

Di(n-butyl) phthalate has no effect on the rat prepubertal testis despite its estrogenic activity in vitro

Journal

Folia Histochemica et Cytobiologica

Issue

Vol 49, No 4 (2011)

Article type

Original paper

Pages

685-689

Published online

2012-01-16

Page views

1637

Article views/downloads

2029

DOI

10.5603/FHC.2011.0092

Bibliographic record

Folia Histochem Cytobiol 2011;49(4):685-689.

Keywords

DBP
rat
spermatogenesis
testis
yeast estrogen screen

Authors

Eliza Filipiak
Renata Walczak-Jędrzejowska
Mariusz Krupiński
Elżbieta Oszukowska
Katarzyna Marchlewska
Jerzy Długoński
Krzysztof Kula
Jolanta Słowikowska-Hilczer

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