title: Toxicity and estrogenic endocrine disrupting activity of phthalates and their mixtures.
abstract: Phthalates, widely used in flexible plastics and consumer products, have become ubiquitous contaminants worldwide. This study evaluated the acute toxicity and estrogenic endocrine disrupting activity of butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP), di(n-butyl) phthalate (DBP), bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), diisodecyl phthalate (DIDP), diisononyl phthalate (DINP), di-n-octyl phthalate (DNOP) and their mixtures. Using a 72 h zebrafish embryo toxicity test, the LC50 values of BBP, DBP and a mixture of the six phthalates were found to be 0.72, 0.63 and 0.50 ppm, respectively. The other four phthalates did not cause more than 50% exposed embryo mortality even at their highest soluble concentrations. The typical toxicity symptoms caused by phthalates were death, tail curvature, necrosis, cardio edema and no touch response. Using an estrogen-responsive ChgH-EGFP transgenic medaka (Oryzias melastigma) eleutheroembryos based 24 h test, BBP demonstrated estrogenic activity, DBP, DEHP, DINP and the mixture of the six phthalates exhibited enhanced-estrogenic activity and DIDP and DNOP showed no enhanced- or anti-estrogenic activity. These findings highlighted the developmental toxicity of BBP and DBP, and the estrogenic endocrine disrupting activity of BBP, DBP, DEHP and DINP on intact organisms, indicating that the widespread use of these phthalates may cause potential health risks to human beings.
authors.affiliation: Vitargent (International) Biotechnology Limited, Unit 516, 5/F. Biotech Centre 2, No. 11 Science Park West Avenue, Hong Kong Science Park, Shatin, Hong Kong. xueping.chen@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Xueping
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory in Marine Pollution, Department of Biology and Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, 83 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong. ssanyecao@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Shisan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Vitargent (International) Biotechnology Limited, Unit 516, 5/F. Biotech Centre 2, No. 11 Science Park West Avenue, Hong Kong Science Park, Shatin, Hong Kong. cindy.tan@vitargent.com.
authors.forename: Tianfeng
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.affiliation: Vitargent (International) Biotechnology Limited, Unit 516, 5/F. Biotech Centre 2, No. 11 Science Park West Avenue, Hong Kong Science Park, Shatin, Hong Kong. Kathy.lee@vitargent.com.
authors.forename: Sin Ting
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory in Marine Pollution, Department of Biology and Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, 83 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong. bhcheng@cityu.edu.hk.
authors.forename: Shuk Han
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.affiliation: School of Science and Technology, Open University of Hong Kong, 30 Good Shepherd Street, Homantin, Kowloon, Hong Kong. wflee@ouhk.edu.hk.
authors.forename: Fred Wang Fat
authors.initials: FW
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: School of Science and Technology, Open University of Hong Kong, 30 Good Shepherd Street, Homantin, Kowloon, Hong Kong. sjlxu@ouhk.edu.hk.
authors.forename: Steven Jing Liang
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: School of Science and Technology, Open University of Hong Kong, 30 Good Shepherd Street, Homantin, Kowloon, Hong Kong. kcho@ouhk.edu.hk.
authors.forename: Kin Chung
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Ho
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian; D047108:Embryonic Development / Q000187:drug effects*; D052244:Endocrine Disruptors / Q000633:toxicity*; D009990:Oryzias; D010795:Phthalic Acids / Q000633:toxicity*; D023382:Toxicity Tests, Acute; D015027:Zebrafish
chemical_list: D052244:Endocrine Disruptors; D010795:Phthalic Acids