Abstract
Diethylhexylphthalate (DEHP), acting as an endocrine disruptor, disturbed reproductive health. Here, we evaluated the effects of Lactobacillus plantarum TW1-1 (L. plantarum TW1-1) on DEHP-induced testicular damage in adult male mice. Results showed that oral supplementation of L. plantarum TW1-1 significantly increased the serum testosterone concentration, enhanced the semen quality, and attenuated gonad development defects in DEHP-exposed mice. L. plantarum TW1-1 also alleviated DEHP-induced oxidative stress and inflammatory responses by decreasing the mRNA expression and serum protein concentration of different inflammatory factors [tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-6]. Furthermore, L. plantarum TW1-1 significantly reduced DEHP-induced intestinal hyper-permeability and the increase in the serum lipopolysaccharide level. Gut microbiota diversity analysis revealed that L. plantarum TW1-1 shifted the DEHP-disrupted gut microbiota to that of the control mice. At phylum level, L. plantarum TW1-1 reversed DEHP-induced Bacteroidetes increase and Firmicutes decrease, and restored Deferribacteres in DEHP-exposed mice. Spearman's correlation analysis showed that Bacteroidetes, Deferribacteres, and Firmicutes were associated with DEHP-induced testicular damage. In addition, the ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes (Firm/Bac ratio) significantly decreased from 0.28 (control group) to 0.13 (DEHP-exposed group), which was restored by L. plantarum TW1-1 treatment. Correlation analysis showed that the Firm/Bac ratio was negatively correlated with testicular damage and inflammation. These findings suggest that L. plantarum TW1-1 prevents DEHP-induced testicular damage via modulating gut microbiota and decreasing inflammation.
Highlights
Diethylhexylphthalate (DEHP) is the most commonly used phthalate for the production of flexible polyvinylchloride
The testes weight and the percentage of testes weight to body weight in DEHP group decreased dramatically (P = 0.0004), whereas mice treated with DEHP and L. plantarum Lactobacillus plantarum TW1-1 (TW1-1) together did not show decrease in the testes weight comparing with both the control and the L. plantarum TW1-1-treated group (LTW1-1) groups (Table S1 and Figure 1C)
L. plantarum TW1-1 administration to the DEHP-exposed mice prevented the irregular arrangement of germ cells, some germ cells were still exfoliated into the lumen, which indicated that L. plantarum TW1-1 partially decreased DEHP-induced testicular damage
Summary
Diethylhexylphthalate (DEHP) is the most commonly used phthalate for the production of flexible polyvinylchloride. It is present in consumer products, such as food packaging bags, medical devices, or food additives, which are widely used in daily life. Phthalates can leach out and enter environmental cycles. Studies indicate that phthalate acid esters in soil could enter plants and reach the human body or other organisms via food chains, and are potentially carcinogenic and mutagenic (Wang et al, 2015a). 0.20– 7.11 mg/Kg concentration of DEHP was detected in the soil samples of 23 cities in China. Most of the food and drinking water were detected to be contaminated by DEHP (Zhang et al, 2015a). DEHP has become a significant source of environmental pollution
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