Impairment of Di(2-Ethylhexyl) Phthalate on Cellular Immunity in Kunming Mice

Yufen Tian¹, Deli Xu^2*, Shengqun Zhang², Jinyan Zhang², Zhicun Sun², Xiangfang Liu², Xin Wang², Xia Wang², Daqian Meng²

¹Library, Qufu Normal University, Qufu, China.
²College of Life Sciences, Qufu Normal University, Qufu, China.

DOI: 10.4236/ojas.2015.53031                

Abstract

Immunity is crucial to the health of animals and it can determine their survival and fitness. Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is widely used as a plasticizer and hence is the most abundant phthalate in the environment. Exposure to DEHP is of great concern for human health. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that exposure to DEHP would suppress T cell-mediated immunity in mice. Twenty adult male Kunming mice were randomly assigned into the control (n = 10) and the DEHP treatment (n = 10) groups. Both groups have free access to food and water, while the mice in the latter group drank DEHP solution (2000 mg/L) for 42 days. T cell-mediated immunity assessed by phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) response was depressed in the DEHP treated mice compared with the controls, however, wet thymus and spleen mass, white blood cells were not influenced by DEHP treatment. Taken together, different immunological parameters responded differently to DEHP treatment in Kunming mice.

Keywords

Di(2-Ethylhexyl) Phthalate (DEHP), Kunming Mice, Phytohaemagglutinin Response

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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