In utero exposure of high-dose di- n -butyl phthalate resulted in opposite effects on testicular cell apoptosis in late embryonic and pubertal male rat offspring

摘要

Objective: To investigate the effects of in utero exposure to high-dose di- n -butyl phthalate (DBP) on testicular cell apoptosis in late embryonic and pubertal male rat offspring. Methods: Twenty pregnant Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were divided into two groups. During gestation day (GD) 12 to GD 19, control group was given 1 ml day ?1 of olive oil and experimental group was given DBP 500 mg kg ?1 day ?1 by gavage. On GD 19.5 and postnatal day (PND) 45, the testes were removed. Morphological analysis of the testes was observed by transmission electron microscopy and hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining. Testicular cell apoptosis was detected by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL). The expression of Bcl-2, Bax, and p53 was presented by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and western blot. Data of the two groups was compared using independent samples t -test and Mann–Whitney test by SPSS 20.0. Results: H&E staining showed that spermatogenetic cells were significantly decreased in DBP exposed pubertal rat testis. The apoptosis index of testes in DBP-treated group was significantly lower on GD 19.5 but higher on PND 45 than that of the controls ( p p Conclusion: In utero exposure of high-dose DBP resulted in opposite effects on testicular cell apoptosis in late embryonic and pubertal rat offspring. The overexpression of Bcl-2, Bax, and p53 might be related to the occurrence of abnormal apoptosis and finally produce male infertility.