Impact of intrauterine Dibutyl phthalate exposure to rat offsprings on reproductive and developmental toxicity

Objective To observe the effects of intrauterine DBP exposure on the reproductive system of both mother rats and mature F1 generation rats. Methods The pregnant rats were administered DBP in various doses(20 mg/kg,100 mg/kg and 500 mg/kg) by gavage. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) was applied to detect the hormone levels in serum, including estrogen two alcohol (E2),luteinizing hormone (LH),follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and testosterone (T). Results The results showed that the experimental doses of DBP exerted significant effect on serum hormone levels but no significant effects on various organs of mother rats. Compared with the control group, serum T levels in the groups treated with 100 mg/kg and 500 mg/kg were significantly decreased (P<0.05),while FSH level increased in 500 mg/kg dose group (P<0.05);with the increase of DBP exposure doses, the weight of mother rats during gestational period decreased significantly (P<0.05). For the F1 female rats,on PND7,the serum LH and T levels decreased with DBP exposure doses increased (P<0.05);on PND26, the E2 levels of the female pups decreased significantly (P<0.05),the FSH levels of rats in dosed group(100 and 500 mg/kg) were significantly lower than those in the control group (P<0.05),and T level in 500 mg/kg DBP dosed group increased (P<0.05) obviously. Conclusion Intrauterine DBP exposure exerts significant toxic effect on the reproductive system of F1 rats; even low dose of DBP can lead to changes in the serum hormone levels, which can be illustrated by the various metabolic profiles.