Vol 49, No 4 (2011)
Original paper
Published online: 2012-01-16
Di(n-butyl) phthalate has no effect on the rat prepubertal testis despite its estrogenic activity in vitro
DOI: 10.5603/FHC.2011.0092
Folia Histochem Cytobiol 2011;49(4):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)
Keywords: DBPratspermatogenesistestisyeast estrogen screen
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