TITLE:
Cell Death Effects of the Phthalate 2-Ethyl-1-Hexanol on Human Linfoblast Cells
AUTHORS:
Karoline Rios, Christian Vélez, Beatriz Zayas
KEYWORDS:
Phthalates, 2-Ethyl-1-Hexanol, Diethylhexyl Phthalate, Autophagy, Apoptosis, Lymphoblast, Caspase
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Apoptosis,
Vol.8 No.1,
January
31,
2019
ABSTRACT: Phthalates have been used in a wide variety of consumer goods. Their
versatility as plasticizers has translated into worldwide use in a vast array
of consumer products. These compounds can leach into matrices, such as food and
liquids that can be routed for human exposure. One of the most used phthalates is Diethylhexyl
phthalate (DEHP). Diethylhexyl phthalate and its metabolite 2-ethyl-1-hexanol
(2-EH) have demonstrated biological effects which merit further evaluation. In
this work, we expand on our previous work with DEHP and screen the 2-EH metabolite
for different cell death endpoints such as growth inhibition, apoptosis, autophagy, caspase activation, DNA fragmentation,
and cell cycle arrest using fluorophores and the NC3000 instrument. Significant
results (p 0.05) revealed higher toxicity for the 2-EH metabolite when compared to
DEHP. Also, 2-EH presented apoptosis induction with characteristic hallmarks,
such as loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, caspase activation, DNA
fragmentation and cell cycle arrest at the S phase. In addition, the presence
of autophagosome was detected through L3CB protein staining. We conclude that
2-EH presents differences in cell death endpoints that interestingly differ
from the DEHP parent compound. Further studies are needed to establish the
molecular pathways responsible for the observed effects.