Effects of perinatal exposure to a mixture of phthalates on the dorsolateral prostate of rats: inflammatory and oxidative aspects

• Grant number: 24/04129-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: December 01, 2024
• End date: February 28, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Morphology - Embryology
• Principal Investigator: Wellerson Rodrigo Scarano
• Grantee: Vinicius Luis Rocha da Silva Maria
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IBB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Phthalates constitute the main group of plasticizers currently used by industry and are also characterized as important environmental pollutants. Studies demonstrate that these compounds can act as endocrine disruptors, altering the hormone-dependent organs' homeostasis and promoting various morphological, metabolic, and reproductive changes, including oxidative stress, inflammatory reactions, and prostate cancer. In this context, the present study aims to evaluate the effects of perinatal exposure to a mixture composed of six phthalates, in different concentrations, on the prostate structure and analyze the involvement of tissue molecular markers in inflammation and oxidative stress. For this, pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats will be treated with a mixture of six different phthalates [DEHP (Bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate), DEP (Diethyl phthalate), DBP (Di-n-butyl phthalate), DiBP (Diisobutyl phthalate), BBP (Butylbenzyl phthalate) and DiNP (Diisononyl phthalate)] from gestational day 12 to postnatal day 21, by daily gavage, at doses of 0 µg, 20 µg, 200 µg and 200 mg/kg. On postnatal day 120, the offspring will be euthanized and the dorsolateral prostate of each male will be removed, weighed, and processed for histopathological analysis, mast cell count, analysis of the oxidative profile, and analysis of genes related to inflammation.