Study on the cytotoxic effects of MEHP on mouse hepatocytes AML12 and human hepatocellular carcinoma cells HepG2
10.19405/j.cnki.issn1000-1492.2026.08.008
- VernacularTitle:MEHP对小鼠肝细胞AML12和人肝癌细胞HepG2的细胞毒性效应研究
- Author:
Haoze WANG
1
;
Nan BAI
1
;
Jun YU
2
;
Jianqing WANG
1
Author Information
1. Department of Pharmacology， School of Pharmaceutical Science，Anhui Medical University
2. Department of Pharmacy， Anhui Provincial Clinical Center for Public Health， Hefei 230032
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
phthalate esters;
monoethylhexyl phthalate;
liver cells;
oxidative stress;
cell apoptosis;
inflammation
- From:
Acta Universitatis Medicinalis Anhui
2026;61(8):1392-1399
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
ObjectiveTo investigate the toxic effects of monoethylhexyl phthalate （MEHP）， a metabolite of di（2-ethylhexyl） phthalate （DEHP）， on normal hepatocytes AML12 and human hepatocellular carcinoma cells HepG2， and preliminarily explore its mechanisms. MethodsAML12 cells were cultured in vitro and divided into a control group and a MEHP model group， with the MEHP model group further subdivided into three concentrations （200， 400， and 800 μmol/L）. The expression levels of cell morphology， cell viability， apoptosis， reactive oxygen species （ROS）， superoxide dismutase （SOD）， and mRNA of apoptosis-related factors were detected using methods such as RT-qPCR and Western blot， with cellular morphology observed accordingly. ResultsAs MEHP concentration increased， cell viability was significantly inhibited， with a half maximal inhibitory concentration （IC50） of approximately 393 μmol/L. Compared to the control group， the model group exhibited significantly elevated ROS levels （P<0.001）， reduced SOD activity， and a marked increase in MDA expression （P<0.001）. Additionally， the expression of the anti-apoptotic factor bcl-2 decreased， while pro-apoptotic factors （bax， caspase3， etc.） increased （P<0.001）， along with significantly elevated levels of inflammatory factors （IL-1， IL-6， TNF-α）. ConclusionMEHP-induced liver cell damage is associated with apoptosis and oxidative stress， which have important implications for studying the mechanisms of MEHP-mediated liver injury.
