US EPA

1333100 

Journal Article 

[Developmental Immunotoxicity in SD Rat Pups Exposed by Di(n-butyl Phthalate through Pre and Postnatal] 

Eom, JH; Chung, ST; Lee, JK; Park, JH; Kwon, TW; Kim, JY; Oh, HY; Kim, HS 

2002 

0 

Journal of Toxicology and Public Health
ISSN: 1226-8399 

DART/TER/4000033 

18 

4 

401-409 

Korean 

Phthalate esters have possible effects on the endocrine system. Di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) is one of the most commonly used phthalic acid esters (PAEs). It is extensively used as a plasticizer in elastomers, as a solvent for printing inks and resins, and as a textile lubricating agent. It is also present in the formulations of various cosmetic products. DBP has been identified as a reproductive toxicant in several animal species and also known as a endocrine disruptor. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of DBP on developmental immune function using rat pups as experimental animals. Timed-bred pregnant SD rats were orally dosed with 0, 250, 500, or 750 mg DBP/kg body weight once a day from gestational day (GD) 5 to 18 and postpartum day (PD) 3 to 18. On PD22, the darns and their pups were euthanized and examined for alteration in parameters associated to immune function. The results showed no significant changes in body weight, thymus weight, thymus and spleen cellularities, the polyclonal activation responses of splenocyte with ConA and LPS, and also the distribution of arterial blood cells and thymocyte subsets in both rat darns and pups. However DBP exposure on rat darns resulted in increases of liver weights of dams and their pups except 750 mg DBP/kg, and body and spleen weights in pups except 750 mg DBP/kg. On the other hands. distribution rates of CD8+ T cells at 500 mg DBP/kg and B cells at 750 mg DBP/kg among splenocyte subsets were significantly increased in rat pups, unlike darns. Reasons of these distribution alterations of CD8+ T cells and B cells in rat pups are under study.