Dietary di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate-impaired glucose metabolism in experimental animals

• Published in: Human & experimental toxicology Vol. 25; no. 9; p. 531
• Main Authors: Martinelli, Marcela I, Mocchiutti, Norberto O, Bernal, Claudio A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England 01-09-2006
• Subjects: Animal Feed; Animals; Blood Glucose - metabolism; Diethylhexyl Phthalate - administration & dosage; Diethylhexyl Phthalate - adverse effects; Food Contamination; Glycolysis - drug effects; Glycolysis - physiology; Lactic Acid - blood; Lactic Acid - metabolism; Liver - drug effects; Liver - metabolism; Male; Muscle, Skeletal - drug effects; Muscle, Skeletal - metabolism; Plasticizers - administration & dosage; Plasticizers - adverse effects; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Statistics, Nonparametric
• ISSN: 0960-3271
• DOI: 10.1191/0960327106het651oa

The effects of chronic intake of di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) on the main intermediate glycolytic metabolites in liver and gastrocnemius muscle were investigated in experimental animals. Male Wistar rats (90-100 g) were fed for 21 days either with a standard chow or the same diet supplemented with 2% (w/w) of DEHP. The DEHP-fed rats had an altered in vivo glucose tolerance associated with abnormal glucose intermediate metabolite contents in liver and skeletal muscle. In these rats, the hepatic content of glucose-6-phosphate (G-6-P), fructose-6-phosphate, pyruvate, lactate, glucose-1-phosphate and glycogen decreased. At the same time, the G-6-P content decreased while the pyruvate and lactate levels increased in skeletal muscle. These data, along with the high plasma glucose concentration and the normal lactate blood levels of this group, could indicate that DEHP-fed rats could present a deficiency in muscle glucose and lactate transport, a reduction of the flux through muscle hexokinase and hepatic glucokinase, and a reduction in glycogen synth-