title: The immunotoxicity of dibutyl phthalate on the macrophages in mice.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Dibutyl phthalate (DBP), a widely used phthalate chemical, is commonly used as plasticizer. It is well known that DBP causes reproductive and developmental diseases, but the effect of DBP on the immune system remains to be determined. We assessed the effect of DBP on immune functions of murine macrophages, which constitute a key component in the immune response.
  
  
  METHODS
  Murine peritoneal exudate macrophages (PEMs) were treated with 0, 1, 5, 10, 50 or 100 μM DBP in vitro for 24 h and then the viability of PEMs were measured by flow cytometry (FCM) and trypan blue count. To investigate the effect of DBP on the functions of PEMs, we treated the PEMs with moderate dose of DBP (0, 1, 5 or 10 μM) in vitro for 24 h. The phenotypes, phagocytosis and cytokine production of PEMs were measured by FCM or real-time PCR. The immunogenicity and antigen presenting capacity of PEMs treated with DBP in vitro were assessed both by the mixed lymphocytereaction (MLR) in vitro assay and through the injection of exposed cells in mice by the delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) assay.
  
  
  RESULTS
  High dose of DBP (50-100 μM) showed cytotoxicity on PEMs, whereas after the treatment with moderate dose of DBP (1-10 μM) in vitro, PEMs expressed low level of CD36, CD80 and MHC-II molecules, and showed significantly decreased phagocytosis on apoptotic cells and Escherichia coli. In addition, DBP treatment exhibited a decrease in the cytokine production, immunogenicity and antigen-presenting capacity of PEMs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present study shows the effects of DBP on macrophages, demonstrating immunogenicity and decreased antigen presentation in vitro.
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Import-Export Chemicals Safety of General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of the People's Republic of China, Chinese Academy of Inspection and Quarantine, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Hai-Shan
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Nai-Ning
authors.initials: NN
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Hui-Ming
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017951:Antigen Presentation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D018122:B7-1 Antigen / Q000276:immunology; D018955:CD36 Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D016207:Cytokines / Q000276:immunology; D003993:Dibutyl Phthalate / Q000276:immunology / Q000633:toxicity*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D005802:Genes, MHC Class II / Q000276:immunology; D017737:Macrophages, Peritoneal / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D010587:Phagocytosis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D018122:B7-1 Antigen; D018955:CD36 Antigens; D016207:Cytokines; D003993:Dibutyl Phthalate