Effect of ETBE on reproductive steroids in male rats and rat Leydig cell cultures

These experiments were conducted to follow up on a report of testis seminiferous tubular degeneration in Fischer 344 rats treated with high doses of ethyl t-butyl ether (ETBE). Also, high doses of a related compound, methyl t-butyl ether (MTBE), had been shown to reduce circulating testosterone (T) in rats. Isolated rat Leydig cells were used to compare hCG-stimulated T production following exposure to ETBE, MTBE, and their common main metabolite, TBA. In addition, male Fischer 344 rats were gavaged daily with 600 mg/kg, 1200 mg/kg or 1800 mg/kg ETBE in corn oil (n=12) for 14 days, the 1200 mg/kg dose chosen for comparison with a prior 14-day MTBE gavage experiment. In cell culture experiments, TBA was more potent than either ETBE or MTBE, both of which caused similar inhibition of T production at equimolar concentrations. In the in vivo study, no significant plasma T reduction was seen 1h after the final 1200 mg/kg ETBE dose, whereas 1200 mg/kg MTBE had significantly lowered T when administered similarly to Sprague-Dawley rats. Some rats treated with 1800 mg/kg ETBE had noticeably lower T levels, and the group average T level was 66% of corn oil vehicle control (p>0.05) with high variability also evident in ETBE-treated rats. 17beta-Estradiol had been increased by 1200 mg/kg MTBE, and was elevated in the 1200 and 1800 mg/kg ETBE dose groups (p<0.05), both groups also experiencing significantly reduced body weight gain. None of these effects were seen with 600 mg/kg/day ETBE. No definitive evidence of androgen insufficiency was seen in accessory organ weights, and no testicular pathology was observed after 14 days in a small subset of 1800 mg/kg ETBE-treated animals. Like MTBE, ETBE appears to be capable of altering reproductive steroid levels in peripheral blood sampled 1h after treatment, but only with extremely high doses that inhibit body weight gain and may produce mortality.