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Updated: May 13, 2025
Long-term Behavioral and Reproductive Consequences of Embryonic Exposure to Low-dose Toxicants
Published on: March 6, 2018
Prenatal exposure to environmentally relevant low-dosage dibutyl phthalate reduces placental efficiency in CD-1 mice
Tasha Pontifex1, Xinran Yang1, Ayna Tracy1
1School of Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85719, United States.
Insights
Prenatal exposure to low-dose Dibutyl phthalate (DBP) impacts fetal-placental efficiency and lipid disposition. This adverse effect is specific to fetal sex, highlighting a critical developmental vulnerability.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive Toxicology
- Developmental Biology
- Environmental Health
Background:
- Dibutyl phthalate (DBP) is a common environmental contaminant with widespread exposure in women of reproductive age.
- Prenatal DBP exposure is linked to adverse pregnancy and fetal outcomes, but the role of fetal sex and underlying mechanisms remain unclear.
- This study investigates the hypothesis that low-dose prenatal DBP exposure affects fetal-placental development and function in a sex-specific manner.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the effects of environmentally relevant low-dose Dibutyl phthalate (DBP) on fetal-placental development and function.
- To investigate whether these effects are specific to fetal sex.
- To elucidate potential mechanisms of DBP-induced adverse pregnancy outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Adult female CD-1 mice were exposed to a low dose of DBP (0.1 μg/kg/day) from pre-pregnancy through gestational day 18.5.
- Maternal adiposity and weight gain were monitored non-invasively.
- Placental lipid disposition in the fetal labyrinth and maternal decidual areas was assessed using Oil Red O staining.
Main Results:
- Low-dose DBP exposure did not alter maternal body weight, adiposity, or weight gain patterns during pregnancy.
- DBP exposure significantly increased placental weight, indicating decreased placental efficiency, in a fetal sex-specific manner.
- Lipid disposition in the fetal labyrinth was significantly reduced in female fetuses but not male fetuses, while maternal decidual lipid disposition remained unaffected.
Conclusions:
- Prenatal exposure to low-dose Dibutyl phthalate (DBP) adversely affects fetal-placental efficiency.
- DBP exposure impacts lipid disposition within the placenta in a fetal sex-specific manner.
- These findings suggest a critical vulnerability of fetal development to environmental phthalate exposure, dependent on fetal sex.
Abstract:
Dibutyl phthalate (DBP), a phthalate congener, is widely utilized in consumer products and medication coatings. Women of reproductive age have a significant burden of DBP exposure. Prenatal DBP exposure is associated with adverse pregnancy/fetal outcomes in the offspring. However, the role of fetal sex and the general mechanisms underlying DBP exposure-associated adverse pregnancy outcomes are unclear. We hypothesize that prenatal DBP exposure at an environmentally relevant low dosage adversely affects fetal-placental development and function during pregnancy in a fetal sex-specific manner. Adult female CD-1 mice (8 to 10 wk) were orally treated with vehicle (control) or with environmentally relevant low DBP dosages at 0.1 μg/kg/d (DBP0.1) daily from 30 days before pregnancy through gestational day (GD) 18.5. Dam adiposity was measured noninvasively using the echo-magnetic resonance imaging system. Lipid disposition in fetal labyrinth and maternal decidual area of placentas was examined using Oil Red O staining. DBP0.1 exposure did not significantly affect the body weight and adiposity of nonpregnant adult female mice nor the maternal weight gain pattern and adiposity during pregnancy in adult female mice. DBP0.1 exposure does not affect fetal weight but significantly increases the placental weight at GD18.5 (indicative of decreased placental efficiency) in a fetal sex-specific manner. We further observed that DBP0.1 significantly decreased lipid disposition in fetal labyrinth of female, but not male placentas, whereas it did not affect lipid disposition in maternal decidual. In conclusion, prenatal exposure to environmentally relevant low-dosage DBP adversely impacts the fetal-placental efficiency and lipid disposition in a fetal sex-specific manner.
