No immunotoxic effect on T cells with Di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate in male C57BL/6 mice

• Published in: Environmental health and preventive medicine 2003-05, Vol.8 (2), p.59-63
• Main Authors: SASAKI, Taku, YOSHIKAWA, Kunie, HARADA, Hiroshi, ARAI, Soichi, TAKITA, Toshichika
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Atrophy; Biological and medical sciences; CD28 antigen; CD3 antigen; CD4 antigen; CD8 antigen; Chemical and industrial products toxicology. Toxic occupational diseases; Corn; Cytometry; Diets; Differentiation; Environmental health; Fats and oils; Hypertrophy; Liver; Lymphocytes T; Males; Medical sciences; Mice; Oil; Oral administration; Original; Phthalates; Phthalic acid; Rodents; Spleen; Thymus; Toxicology; Various organic compounds
• ISSN: 1342-078X; 1347-4715
• DOI: 10.1007/BF02897928

To clarify whether di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) has immunotoxic effects on both the expression of surface molecules (CD3, CD4, CD8 and CD28) on T cells of the thymus and spleen in male C57BL/6 mice. Animals were orally administered a 0.1% or 0.2% DEHP-containing diet for 10 or 20 days. Dietary corn oil was used as the vehicle for DEHP in preparing the diet. Significant hepatic hypertrophy was clearly observed in the DEHP-exposed groups, while no atrophy was seen in the thymus or spleen in any treatment groups. In the thymus and spleen, no variation in the proportions of both T cells expressing CD3, CD4 and CD8 was shown with cytometry analysis. The surface expression of CD3, CD4, CD8 and CD28 on both T cells was also invariable in all analyzed stages of thymic differentiation and in the spleen. No effect of DEHP on mitogenesis was shown in the splenic T cells with anin vitro [(3)H]-thymidine-incorporation technique. DEHP is probably not an immunosuppressor, particularly for T cells.