• Development and Reproduction
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.251-259
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• 2008

The plasticizer di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate(DEHP) is one of the most well known endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) because of its strong anti-androgenic effects on the reproductive and developmental process in male rodents and human. The present study was performed to examine whether prepubertal exposure to DEHP can make any alteration during the maturation of accessory sex organs in male rats. As a result, there was no significant change in body weights, serum T levels and tissue weights except of seminal vesicle and ventral prostate in DEHP-treated animals compared to vehicle-treated ones. The seminal vesicle weights in high-dose group (200 mg/kg) were significantly lower than those from the control group (p<0.05), and ventral prostate weights were significantly lower than those from the control group (p<0.05) in both low-dose (20 mg/kg) and high-dose group. Histological studies revealed that the seminal vesicles from DEHP-treated groups showed reduced areas of mucosal folds. Pseudostratified columnar epithelia were observed in the ventral prostates of DEHP-treated samples while cuboidal epithelia were found in the control group. The transcriptional activities of ER-$\alpha$ in seminal vesicle from high-dose group (p<0.05) were significantly higher than those from the control group, and ER-$\beta$ expression was significantly decreased in low-dose group (p<0.05) compared to the control. In ventral prostate, ER-$\beta$ mRNA levels from low-dose group (p<0.05) were significantly lower than those from the control group, and significantly increased in high-dose group (p<0.01). AR expressions, however, were not significantly different in all experimental groups of both seminal vesicle and ventral prostate. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that (i) adverse effect (s) of DEHP on sexual maturation during prepubertal period could be limited, (ii) seminal vesicle and prostate gland were sensitive targets to DEHP in prepubertal rats and (iii) the deleterious effects of DEHP might be mediated through ER-associated mechanism.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.86-92
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• 2019

Di-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) is an environmental contaminant that is used as a plasticizer. Endometriosis is a complex disease with an unknown etiology that is believed to be associated with exposure to DEHP. The present study examined the potential toxicity of DEHP by exposing endometrial adenocarcinoma cells (Ishikawa cells) to DEHP. In the experiments, the cells were treated with stepwise DEHP concentrations (0, 0.01, 0.1, 1, and $5{\mu}M$) for different exposure times (24, 48, and 72 h). When the relationship between the resulting survival rate of the cells and initial inflammation was examined, the cell viability, expression of $TNF-{\alpha}$, an inflammatory mediator, and the expression of MMP-9, an ECM degradation protein, were increased remarkably when the cells were exposed to $5{\mu}M$ DEHP for 48 and 72 hours. These results suggest that the exposure of Ishikawa cells to certain concentrations of DEHP, estrogen mimics, may cause time-dependent toxicity that affects the cell viability and inflammation, implying a potential role in the etiology of endometriosis. Further research on the effects of endocrine disruptors on the pathogenesis of endometriosis may reveal strategies to prevent this disease.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.46 no.5
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• pp.548-554
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• 2020

Objectives: This study is to examine the polyvinyl chloride (PVC) materials in elementary school classrooms and libraries in Seoul, and to investigate phthalate contamination in indoor dust. Methods: PVC material was identified for building materials and furniture using portable x-ray fluorescence (XRF). Phthalates in dust samples (n=19) were extracted by ultrasonic extraction using cyclohexane and analyzed by GC-MS. Results: Diethyl phthalate (DEP), di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP), and Bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) were found in all collected dust samples (n=19), and diisonyl phthalate (DINP) was detected in all except for one sample (n=18). The concentration of DEHP (median: 2190 mg/kg) and DINP (2960 mg/kg) were higher than other compounds, suggesting that there are many products in the school that used these compounds. When comparing the phthalate concentration in the classroom (n=11) and library dust (n=8), the total concentration in the classroom (median: 10000 mg/kg) was higher than that in the library (8030 mg/kg). DEHP was the dominant compound in the library. The library is relatively more equipped with PVC furniture (n=83) and most floors are also identified as PVC material, suggesting that floors and furniture made of PVC materials are main sources of DEHP contamination. Conclusions: This study is a pilot survey for investigating phthalate contamination in elementary schools. As a result of the survey, phthalate contamination in elementary school was confirmed. However, further study requires risk assessment of children through analysis of phthalate metabolites in children based on sufficient number of samples and information about the site.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.510-517
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• 2010

Phthalates, such as di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP) have been proved to be teratogenics and endocrine disruptors, metabolized rapidly and excreted in the urine. In this study, a simultaneous analytical method for 10 phthalate metabolites, MnBP, MiBP, MBzP, MCHP, MEHP, MEHHP, MEOHP, MnOP, MiNP and MiDP, in human urines, based on switching system with on-line pretreatment column using HPLC-MS/MS has been developed. This method was validated according to the guideline of bioanalytical method validation of National Institute of Toxicological Research. Limits of detection range between 0.2 and 0.9 ng/ml for 10 phthalate metabolites. The calibration curves showed linearity in the range 0.997~0.999, and the results of the intra- and inter-day validations were in the range from 0.4 to 14.7% RSD and from 0.3 to 9.4% RSD, respectively. Recoveries of phthalate metabolites varied from 87.0 to 116.1%. This analytical method showed high accuracy and stable precision for all metabolites, and seems to be suitable for biomonitoring of phthalates in human urine.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.964-969
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• 2000

Di-(2-ethylhexyl) adipate(DEHA) has been used extensively as a plasticizer in the manufacture of plastic products such as PVC films. Though, phthalate esters plasticizers have been known to induce endocrine system-mediated responses, few studies have been conducted for the screening of estrogenic activity of DEHA, an adipate plasticizer. This study was initiated to evaluate the estrogenic activity of DEHA by in vitro E-screen assay and in vivo uterotrophic assay. MCF-7 human breast cancer cells were treated with $DEHA(5{\times}10^{-9}{\sim}5{\times}10^{-4}\;M)$, for 144 hr, and cell proliferation was determined by sulforhodamine B(SRB) assay. DEHA dissolved in corn oil was administered subcutaneously to ovariectomized(OVX) female Sprague-Dawley rats at dosage levels of 0, 2, 20 and 200 mg/kg/day for three consecutive days. Rats were sacrificed 24 hr after final treatment and vagina and uterus(wet and blotted) weights were obtained. E-screen assayed DEHA did not generate cell proliferation at treated concentrations$(5{\times}10^{-9}{\sim}5{\times}10^{-4}\;M)$, whereas 17 ${\beta}-estradiol$(E2), the positive control, induced cell proliferation at low concentrations$(5{\times}10^{-14}{\sim}5{\times}10^{-9}\;M)$. In the uterotrophic assay, DEHA did not change vagina and uterus(wet and blotted) weights at dosage levels up to 200 mg/kg/day treatment. These results demonstrated that DEHA did not exhibit the estrogenic activity as determined by in vitro E-screen assay and in vivo uterotrophic assay.

• Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
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• v.35
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• pp.2.1-2.15
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• 2023

Background: Phthalates are endocrine disrupting chemicals that are widely used in the production of items of daily life such as in polyvinylchloride plastics, insecticides, and medical devices. This study aimed to determine the association between phthalate exposure and shellfish consumption using data from the Korean National Environmental Health Survey (KoNEHS) cycle 3 (2015-2017), which is a nationally representative survey. Methods: In this study, we analyzed the KoNEHS cycle 3 data of 3,333 (1,526 men and 1,807 women) adults aged more than 19 years. Data related to the variables of sociodemographic factors, health-related behaviors, dietary factors, seafood consumption frequency, and urinary phthalate metabolites concentrations were collected. The concentrations of urinary phthalate metabolites of all the participants were divided into quartiles to define high and low concentration groups based on the 75th percentile concentration. A χ² test was conducted to analyze the distribution of independent variables. To analyze the relationship between shellfish consumption and phthalate exposure, the odds ratios (ORs) were calculated using logistic regression analysis. Results: Total adults with shellfish consumption frequency of over once a week showed the following adjusted ORs for high concentrations of the following metabolites compared with the group that consumed shellfish once a week or less: 1.43 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.01-2.06) for mono-(2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl) phthalate (MEOHP), 1.43 (95% CI: 1.01-2.03) for mono-(2-ethyl-5-carboxypentyl) phthalate (MECPP), 1.57 (95% CI: 1.10-2.24) for ∑di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (∑DEHP), 2.01 (95% CI: 1.46-2.77) for mono-carboxyoctyl phthalate (MCOP), 1.56 (95% CI: 1.11-2.18) for mono-carboxy-isononly phthalate (MCNP), and 2.57 (95% CI: 1.85-3.56) for mono (3-carboxypropyl) phthalate (MCPP). Conclusions: The concentrations of urinary phthalate metabolites (MEOHP, MECPP, ∑DEHP, MCOP, MCNP, and MCPP) were higher in adults with a higher frequency of shellfish consumption.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.479-485
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• 2001

A study of the levels of phthalate and adipate esters, which are suspected as endocrine disruptors, in food packaging wraps and packaged foods were carried out. Among 11 wrap samples, 8 household wraps purchased at retail markets were polyvinyl chloride(PVC) and polyethylene(PE), while 3 commercial wraps at wholesale markets were PVC. All of 51 selected food samples, such as 12 samples of vegetable, 11 samples of fruit, 6 samples of bread and rice cake, 4 samples of meat and poultry, 4 samples of fish and 14 samples of side dish, packaged with commercial PVC wraps containing adipate esters were purchased at retail markets. The level of di-(2-ethylhexyl) adipate(DEHA) and diisononyl adipate(DINA) was from 2.2 to 17.9% and from 4.2 to 22.3% in household PVC wraps, respectively. In the commercial PVC wraps, the level of DEHA showed from 18.3 to 22.5%, while other phthalate esters were not detected. The phthalate and adipate esters were not detected in PE wraps. The level of DEHA in packaged foods, such as vegetable, fruit, bread and rice cake, meat and poultry, fish and side dish, were determined up to $8.2\;{\mu}g/cm^2,\;17.4\;{\mu}g/cm^2,\;31.0{\mu}g/cm^2,\;8.3\;{\mu}g/cm^2,\;2.1\;{\mu}g/cm^2$ and $92.3\;{\mu}g/cm^2$, respectively. The results suggested that migration levels of DEHA in foods were closely related to the fat content, wrapping condition of food and stroage time and temperature.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.248-255
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• 1999

Sewage sludge samples were extracted with dichlomethane by Soxhlet extraction. The extracts were analysed for the endocrine disrupting compounds (EDC), octylphenol(OP), nonylphenol (NP) and bis (2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DOP) using GC/MS-SIM. In industrial sewage sludge (sample Z-1) the concentration of NP and DOP were respectively $1168{\mu}g/g$ and $1172{\mu}g/g$ whereas in domestic sludge (sample Z-2) the concentration were respectively $10.8{\mu}g/g$ and $80{\mu}g/g$. OP was not detected in Z-2, but detected a small amount in Z-2 of the samples. Environmental EDC have been shown to affect the fertility of range of living organisms, including humans, and the high levels of NP and DOP in industrial sewage sludge could have serious implications for the reproductive health of humans particularly if the compounds entered the human food chain through water or the ingestion of vegetables or animal products.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.801-805
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• 2008

A fibrous material (p-phenylene-2,5-benzobisoxazole, PBO) was used as an adsorbent for solid phase extraction in order to simplify the extraction procedure. The extraction performance for di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) was examined with two types of PBO fibers (HM (High modulus) and AS (Regular type) types) by batch type sorption/desorption experiments. When 100 mg of the HM fibers were applied to 20 mL of the aqueous DEHP solution (less than $50{\mu}g/L$), more than 95% of DEHP was adsorbed on the fibers, however, the AS type fibers adsorbed alkyl phthalate up to 80%. In the case of $50{\mu}g/L$ of the initial concentration of DEHP, the adsorbed DEHP was extracted effectively with methanol and the maximum overall recovery ratio was 92.3%. The results indicated that the PBO fibers could be used as an adsorbent for alkyl phthalate analysis, and that the extraction procedure was not affected by suspended solids in a water sample.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.532-536
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• 2004

Due to the fourth-instar larvae of C. riparius have a sensitive to ecdysteroidal molting hormones for the life cycle developments, accordingly the emerged adult affected corresponding to larval phase's environments. The emerged female from larval phase exposure to DEHP observed a fact body and clumsy fling behavior in females. The body volume of treated female groups was clearly larger than that of control fe- males. In the 2D/E gel 1108 protein spots were identified. The visualized protein spots allowed extraction of 27 protein spots differed more than 3 fold in DEHP treated animals, which was approximately 2.4％ of the total protein spots. In this view, the body volume (or morphological characters) was well observed and detected faster than physiological detection for various EDCs. In this study, the body volume as a detecting po-int for EDCs suggested a bio-marker in individual levels.