Nonylphenol induces thymocyte apoptosis through Fas/FasL pathway by mimicking estrogen in vivo

Nonylphenol (NP) is the final biodegradation product of nonylphenol polyethoxylates, which are widely used surfactants in domestic and industrial products. Nonylphenol has been reported to have estrogenic activity and shown to have potential reproductive toxicity. However, its influence on immune system function remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the effects of nonylphenol on apoptosis and Fas/FasL gene expression in rat thymus. Nonylphenol were given orally by gavages at 125, 250, and 375mg/kg per day. Negative and positive controls were treated with the vehicle and E(2) 10ng/kg per day, respectively. Atrophy of thymus was determined by in situ morphological examination using hematoxylin and eosin staining. Apoptotic cells were identified by terminal deoxynucleotide transferase-mediated deoxy-UTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay. A semi-quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method was used to analyze Fas and FasL mRNA levels. The results showed that both nonylphenol and E(2) increased the rates of apoptotic death; reduced the expression of Fas; enhanced the expression of FasL. These findings demonstrated that nonylphenol with estrogen-like activity might affect the regulation of the immune function through thymocyte apoptosis. This apoptosis was mediated by altering the expression of Fas and FasL mRNA.