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Updated: May 8, 2026
Dissection of Larval Zebrafish Gonadal Tissue
Published on: April 26, 2017
A transcriptomics-based analysis provides insights into the sex-dependent reproductive toxicity of DEHP in zebrafish
Shirui Liu1, Simeng Yu2, Yankun Huang2
1North Alabama International College of Engineering and Technology, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, PR China; College of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, PR China.
Abstract:
Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) threatens human and wildlife health seriously, yet sex-dependent reproductive toxicity remains unclear. Therefore, in this study, we exposed zebrafish to various concentrations (0.01, 0.1, 1.0, and 2.0 mg/L) of DEHP for 28 days. Results indicate that DEHP exposure induced oxidative stress as a common response in both sexes and more pronounced reproductive toxicity to males than females. In males, sperm development stagnated at spermatogonia and enriched pathways were mainly associated with ribosome (Rps3, Rps27a) and endoplasmic reticulum stress(Hspa5). In females, oocyte development was affected at later stages and the pathways were mainly lipid metabolism and GnRH signaling pathway. Hub genes from PPI in females were Cacna2d3, Prkcba, Calm2a, Pla2g4aa in SCvsHigh while Pla2g4aa in SCvsLow. Overall, these findings provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms of DEHP toxicity, which is crucial for understanding its impact on reproductive health and ecological risk assessment.
