US EPA

1336157 

Journal Article 

Screen Effects of Phthalates on Androgen, Estrogen and Thyroid Hormones in vitro 

Shen Ou-xi; Du Gui-zhen; Sun Hong; Wu Wei; Jiang Yi; Song Ling; Wang Xin-ru 

2009 

219-219 

WOS:000268585500030 

Phthalates are widely used in the plastic industry, in food packaging and to impart softness and flexibility to normally rigid plastic medical devices and children's. toys: Even though phthalates display low general toxicity, there is increasing concerns on the effects of endocrine system induced by some of phthalates. In this study; the effects on the androgen receptor (AR), the-estrogen receptor (ER) and the thyroid hormone receptor (TR) were assessed using luciferase reporter gene assays of the following: compounds: dibutyl phthalate (DBP), monobutyl phthalate (MBP) which is the metabolite of DBP, and di-(2-ethylhcxyl)phthalate (DEHP). The result showed that DBP, MBP and DEHP, not only exhibited potent antiandrogenic activity with IC50 value of 1.05 mu mol/L, 12.2 mu mol/L and 0.18 mmol/L respectively, but also showed the androgenic activity with EC50 value of 6.17 mu mol/L, 11:30 mu mol/L and 10.5 mu mol/L. We also found that all the three related chemicals possessed TR antagonist activity with IC50 of 13:1 mu mol/L, 2:77 mu mol/L and exceed 10mM respectively, and none of them showed the agonist activity. These results further indicated that TR might be the:targets of industrial chemicals. Through the ER mediate reporter gene assay,three chemicals showed no agonistic activity except for DBP; which appeared weak estrogenic activity at the high concentration(10 mmol/L). These results, suggested that the chemicals disrupted the endocrine system :through several hormones. These results provide useful information for risk assessment of pathalates. Additional data, together with in vivo and epidemiological examinations are required.