Testicular toxicity of Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate in developing rats.

To understand the factors involved in the enhanced testicular toxicity of di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) in developing animals, po doses of 50, 100, 250 or 500 mg DEHP/kg were administered to 25-d-old albino rats for 30 consecutive days. Activities of testicular and hepatic cytochrome P-450 enzymes were determined. A dose-dependent increase in the activities of lactate dehydrogenase and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase and a decrease in sorbitol dehydrogenase was observed in the testes. The activity of beta-glucuronidase increased at dosages of 250 and 500 mg/kg, while acid phosphatase decreased. Testes had marked destructive changes in the advanced germ cell layers at dosages of 250 and 500 mg/kg, which supports biochemical studies indicating that DEHP interacts with the maturation process of the testes. The dose-dependent decrease in hepatic cytochrome P-450 levels and the activities of ethylmorphine N-demethylase and aniline hydroxylase suggest that impaired metabolism of DEHP could lead to higher amounts of the diester or its metabolites reaching the testes; this may result in enhanced vulnerability of the testes to DEHP in developing animals.