The phthalate DEHP modulates the estrogen receptors α and β increasing lactotroph cell population in female pituitary glands

TOLEDO JONATHAN; TORRES ALICIA; PEREZ, PABLO; PEINETTI NAHUEL; GUTIERREZ SILVINA; SOSA LILIANA DEL VALLE; DE PAUL ANA LUCÍA

CHEMOSPHERE

PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2020 vol. 9 p. 506 - 518

0045-6535

Humans are exposed to numerous endocrine disruptors on a daily basis, which may interfere with endogenous estrogens, with Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) being one of the most employed. The anterior pituitary gland is a target of 17β-estradiol (E2) through the specific estrogen receptors (ERs) α and β, whose expression levels fluctuate in the gland under different contexts, with the ERα/β index being responsible for the final E2 effect on the pituitary. The aim of this study was to evaluate in vivo and in vitro the DEHP effects on ERα and β expression in the pituitary cell population, and also its impact on lactotroph and somatotroph cell growth. Our results revealed that perinatal exposure to DEHP altered the ERα and β expression pattern in pituitary glands from prepuberal and adult female rats and increased the percentage of lactotroph cells in adulthood. In the in vitro system, DEHP down-regulated ERα and β expression, thereby increasing the ERα/β ratio and decreasing the percentages of lactotrophs and somatotrophs expressing ERα and β. In addition, DEHP increased the S+G2M phases, Ki-67 index and cyclin D1 in vitro, leading to a rise in the lactotroph and somatotroph cell populations. These results showed that DEHP modified the pituitary ERα and β expression in lactotrophs and somatotrophs from female rats and had an impact on the pituitary cell growth. These changes in ERs expression may be a mechanism underlying DEHP exposure in the pituitary gland, leading to cell growth deregulation.