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Cardiovascular Response of Rat Aorta to Di-(2-ethylhexyl) Phthalate (DEHP) Exposure

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Abstract

Phthalates are one of the main constituents of plastic, reaching up to 40% of the total plastic weight, and their main function is to impart flexibility/elasticity to polymers that would otherwise be rigid. Phthalates are known as endocrine disruptors, since they can interfere with hormone homeostasis. Regarding the cardiovascular system, it was already shown the effects of di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) exposure with significant changes in several calcium-handling proteins and an increase in the blood pressure of mice offspring, suggesting that DEHP leads to vasocontraction. However, the mechanisms involved were not elucidated yet. The aim of this study is to analyse the involvement of calcium channels in the effects induced by DEHP on vascular smooth muscle cells. Endothelium-denuded aorta artery rings were prepared from male Wistar rats and incubated in an organ bath, and the whole-cell configuration of Patch Clamp technique was used to measure the activity of L-type Ca2+ channels (LTCC) in A7r5 cells. Overall, DEHP caused relaxation on KCl-induced contraction at higher concentrations and inhibited the basal and BAY K8644-stimulated calcium current, indicating that this drug blocks LTCC. These results suggest that DEHP induces relaxation on vascular smooth muscle cells due to the inhibition of calcium channels.

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Acknowledgements

This work is supported by FEDER funds through the POCI—COMPETE 2020—Operational Programme Competitiveness and Internationalisation in Axis I—Strengthening research, technological development and innovation (Project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007491) and National Funds by FCT—Foundation for Science and Technology (Project UID/Multi/00709/2013).

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  1. CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, University of Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique s/n, 6200-506, Covilhã, Portugal

    Melissa Mariana, Joana Feiteiro & Elisa Cairrao

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  1. Melissa Mariana
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Correspondence to Elisa Cairrao.

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Mariana, M., Feiteiro, J. & Cairrao, E. Cardiovascular Response of Rat Aorta to Di-(2-ethylhexyl) Phthalate (DEHP) Exposure. Cardiovasc Toxicol 18, 356–364 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12012-017-9439-6

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