Differential expression of galectin-3 in the hypospadiac male rats induced by Di-n-butyl phthalate

Abstract

Objective To verify the differential expression of galectin-3 in the genital tubercle (GT) of hypospadiac rats induced by maternal exposure to Di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) and normal control rats in order to further explore the mechanism of hypospadias. Methods Twenty pregnant SD rats were randomly divided into two groups which were given DBP and soybean oil gavage at the dose of 800 mg/(kg·d) and 2 ml/d separately during the 14-18th day of pregnancy. Fetal rats per fossa, birth weight ( BW) , ano-genital distance (AGD), hapospadias incidence, and harvested GT of fetal rats at GD19.The expression of galectin-3 was analyzed by Western blotting and immunohistochemistry. Results The incidence of hypospadias was 40% , the rat offspring per litter in experiment group was significantly less than in control group (P < 0.05), (experiment group of 8.90 ± 1.25, control group of 13.20 ± 1.46) , BW and AGD/ BW of male offspring in control group were (6.72 ±0.42) g, (0.66 ±0.07) mra/g, those in experiment group were (5.12 ±0.24) g, (0.57 ±0.03) mm/g, and the expression of galectin-3 had statistically significant difference (P < 0.05). Galectin-3 was mainly located in the cytoplasm of epithelium, and staining intensity in control group was stronger than in experimental group. Conclusion Maternal exposure to DBP can reduce the galectin-3 expression in GT epithelium, affect cellular proliferation, apoptosis and urethral fold fusion, and finally result in the occurrence of hypospadias. Key words: Galectin-3; Di-n-butyl phthalate; Hypospadias; Genital tubercle