Expression Of Wnt/β-catenin And NFκB Pathway In Genital Tubercle(GT) Of Hypospadiac Male Rats With Utero Exposure To Di-n-butyl Phthalate(DBP)

Objective: To evaluate the expression of Wnt/β-catenin and NFκB pathway in hypopspadiac male rats treated by utero exposure to DBP.Methods: Twenty pregnant rats were randomly divided into two groups and given DBP by gastric intubation at a dose of 0,800 mg/kg from gestation day(GD)14 to GD18.On GD19,Western blot analysis was used to quantify expression ofβ-catenin,GSK-3βand NFκB in GT of hypospadiac male rats.Results: The body weight and the AGD of hypospadiac male rats significantly decreased. Moreover, the expression ofβ-catenin was significantly decreased and an increased expression of GSK-3βand NFκB in GT was observed(n=10,P<0.05). GSK-3βwas located in the urethral plate epithelium (UPE) by immunohistochemistry.Conclusion: DBP could possibly affect the development of GT by regulating Wnt/β-catenin and NFκB pathway in fetal male rats. These results could provide us a possibility to interfere the reproductive toxicity of DBP by regulating specific pathway in GT tissues.