Polystyrene nanoparticles enhance the adverse effects of di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate on male reproductive system in mice

作者：Danyang Li, Wei Sun, Xuejun Jiang, Ziying Yu, Yinyin Xia, Shuqun Cheng, Lejiao Mao, Shiyue Luo, Shixin Tang, Shangcheng Xu, Zhen Zou, Chengzhi Chen, Jingfu Qiu, Lixiao Zhou · 发表于：Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety · 年份：2022 · DOI：10.1016/j.ecoenv.2022.114104 · 被引用次数：44 · 研究领域：Microplastics and Plastic Pollution、Effects and risks of endocrine disrupting chemicals、Nanoparticles: synthesis and applications

Coexposure of nanoplastics (NPs) with other pollutants adsorbed from the surroundings has received extensive attention. Currently, the combined effects of NPs and plasticizers remain unclear. Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is a commonly used plasticizer that has raised much concern owing to its ubiquitous pollution and endocrine-disrupting potential. This study aimed to investigate the toxic effects on the male reproductive system upon coexposure to NPs and DEHP. The C57BL/6J mice were orally administrated with polystyrene nanoparticles (PSNPs), DEHP or both for 35 days to evaluate their effects on sperm quality, histology of testes and epididymides, testicular transcriptomic characteristics as well as expression of some important genes in the epididymides. The low-dose PSNPs used here did not induce significant changes in sperm quality, while DEHP alone or cotreatment with DEHP and PSNPs caused notable impairment, mainly manifesting as decreased sperm quality and aberrant structure of the testis and epididymis. Moreover, enhanced toxic effects were found in the cotreatment group when compared with the individual DEHP treatment group, as manifested by more obvious alterations in the sperm parameters as well as histological changes in the testis and epididymis. Testicular transcriptomic analysis revealed differential regulation of genes involved in immune response, cytoplasmic pattern recognition receptor signaling pathways, protein ubiquitination, oxidative stress, necrot...