Bis(2-butoxyethyl) Phthalate Delays Puberty Onset by Increasing Oxidative Stress and Apoptosis in Leydig Cells in Rats

Objective This study investigated the effects of bis(2-butoxyethyl) phthalate(BBOP) on the onset of male puberty by affecting Leydig cell development in rats.Methods Thirty 35-day-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly allocated to five groups mg/kg bw per day that were gavaged for 21 days with BBOP at 0, 10, 100, 250, or 500 mg/kg bw per day. The hormone profiles;Leydig cell morphological metrics;mRNA and protein levels;oxidative stress;and AKT,mTOR, ERK1/2, and GSK3β pathways were assessed.Results BBOP at 250 and/or 500 mg/kg bw per day decreased serum testosterone, luteinizing hormone, and follicle-stimulating hormone levels mg/kg bw per day(P < 0.05). BBOP at 500 mg/kg bw per day decreased Leydig cell number mg/kg bw per day and downregulated Cyp11a1, Insl3, Hsd11b1,and Dhh in the testes, and Lhb and Fshb mRNAs in the pituitary gland(P < 0.05). The malondialdehyde content in the testis significantly increased, while Sod1 and Sod2 mRNAs were markedly downregulated, by BBOP treatment at 250–500 mg/kg bw per day(P < 0.05). Furthermore, BBOP at 500mg/kg bw per day decreased AKT1/AKT2, mTOR, and ERK1/2 phosphorylation, and GSK3β and SIRT1levels mg/kg bw per day(P < 0.05). Finally, BBOP at 100 or 500 μmol/L induced ROS and apoptosis in Leydig cells after 24 h of treatment in vitro(P < 0.05).Conclusion BBOP delays puberty onset by increasing oxidative stress and apoptosis in Leydig cells in rats.The graphical abstract is available on the website www.besjournal.com.

Psychophysiological Effects of Bamboo Plants on Adults

The present study was conducted to clarify the psychophysiological relaxation effects of viewing bamboo on university students. Forty healthy Chinese participants enrolled in this study to clarify the psychophysiological relaxation effects of viewing bamboo. The effects of visual stimulation using a pot both with and without a bamboo were recorded by measuring the student＇s blood pressure, EEG and STAI. We observed that viewing bamboo plants resulted in significantly lower systolic（female, P 〈 0.001; male, P 〈 0.001; P 〈 0.05） and diastolic（female,P 〈 0.001; male, P 〈 0.001; P 〈 0.05） blood pressures, but no changes in the pulse rate（female, P = 0.09; male, P = 0.07; P 〉 0.05） were observed. The results of the EEG analysis indicated brainwave variation（all P 〈 0.05） and lower anxiety scores（P 〈 0.01） after 3 min of viewing bamboo compared with the control. These findings indicate that visual stimulation with bamboo plants induced psychophysiological relaxation effects on adults.