Reproductive and behavioral effects of diisononyl phthalate (DINP) in perinatally exposed rats.

Diisononyl phthalate (DINP) is a plasticizer abundantly used in consumer products as a substitute for other plasticizers prohibited in certain products due to reproductive toxicity. As anti-androgenic effects of DINP are suspected, DINP effects on reproduction and sexually dimorphic behavior were studied. Pregnant Wistar rats were gavaged from gestation day 7 to postnatal day (PND) 17 with vehicle, 300, 600, 750 or 900 mg DINP/kg bw/day. In fetal testes histopathological effects typical of phthalates were observed. In male offspring, DINP caused increased nipple retention, reduced anogenital distance, reduced sperm motility and increased sperm count. DINP affected spatial learning as female offspring performed better than controls and similarly to control males in the Morris Water Maze, indicating masculinization of behavior in DINP exposed females. These results show that DINP causes anti-androgenic effects on reproductive development, though less potent than DEHP, DBP and BBP, and further safety evaluation of DINP appears warranted.

Mechanisms of action underlying the antiandrogenic effects of the fungicide prochloraz.

The fungicide prochloraz has got multiple mechanisms of action that may influence the demasculinizing and reproductive toxic effects of the compound. In the present study, Wistar rats were dosed perinatally with prochloraz (50 and 150 mg/kg/day) from gestational day (GD) 7 to postnatal day (PND) 16. Caesarian sections were performed on selected dams at GD 21, while others were allowed to give birth to pups that were followed until PND 16. Prochloraz caused mild dysgenesis of the male external genitalia as well as reduced anogenital distance and retention of nipples in male pups. An increased anogenital distance indicated virilization of female pups. Effects on steroidogenesis in male fetuses became evident as decreased testicular and plasma levels of testosterone and increased levels of progesterone. Ex vivo synthesis of both steroid hormones was qualitatively similarly affected by prochloraz. Immunohistochemistry of fetal testes showed increased expression of 17alpha-hydroxylase/17,20-lyase (P450c17) and a reduction in 17beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (type 10) expression, whereas no changes in expression of genes involved in testicular steroidogenesis were observed. Increased expression of P450c17 mRNA was observed in fetal male adrenals, and the androgen-regulated genes ornithine decarboxylase, prostatic binding protein C3 as well as insulin-like growth factor I mRNA were reduced in ventral prostates PND 16. These results indicate that reduced activity of P450c17 may be a primary cause of the disrupted fetal steroidogenesis and that an altered androgen metabolism may play a role as well. In vitro studies on human adrenocortical carcinoma cells supported the findings in vivo as reduced testosterone and increased progesterone levels were observed. Overall, these results together indicate that prochloraz acts directly on the fetal testis to inhibit steroidogenesis and that this effect is exhibited at protein, and not at genomic, level.