ACTA ENDOCRINOLOGICA (BUC)

Objective. To study the effect of diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) alone or in combination with genistein (GEN) on the reproductive system of offspring rats, focus on the induction of reproductive outcomes. Method. 180 Wistar rats were divided in 6 groups (30 animals per group): DEHP 250 mg/kg/day group, DEHP 1000 mg/kg/day group, DEHP 2500 mg/kg/day group treated with DEHP 2500 mg/kg/day, DEHP (2500 mg/kg) + GEN (50 mg/kg) group, DEHP (2500 mg/kg) + GEN (500 mg/kg) group and control group treated with the same quantity of corn oil. The differences in sperm quality and reproductive organs were observed. Results. After DEHP administration we observed an increase in rat’s abestrus, metaestrus and all estrus cycle (P < 0.05), a decrease in rat testicle’s organ coefficient and relative energy of testis Sertoli cells and an increase in the early, late and total apoptotic rate of testicular Sertoli cells in a dose dependent manner (P < 0.05). When combine DEHP with GEN the sperm density, sperm quality, the cell activity rate and testis tissue’s changes will decrease compared with the group that receive only DEHP in a dose dependent manner. Conclusion. DEHP exposure induces cryptorchidism in offspring rats and this is aggravated by adding GEN.

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Context. The environmental occurrence of metformin has been frequently world-widely reported. Despite the diabetes susceptibility in the Chinese population, the studies on occurrence of metformin as environment disruptor in China are insufficient. Objective. To determine the occurrence trends and possible environmental pollution sources of metformin as an emerging micropollutant. Methods. High-performance liquid chromatographyelectrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry system was used to detect the metformin levels in water samples collected from the Xi’an city Moat, China once a year from 2017 to 2021. Correlations among the metformin levels in moat water, in surrounding hospital wastewater, and hospital metformin consumption data were assessed using Pearson, Spearman and Kendall’s tau-b correlation coefficients. Results. Occurrence of metformin was found in Xi’an city Moat water with levels in the range of 304- 793 ng/L. Significant correlations were found between the metformin levels in city moat water and the total (or outpatient) metformin utilization data of the hospital. Conclusion. Data suggested the potential environmental issues posed by metformin in Xi’an city in China. The metformin consumption volume in the surrounding hospitals, especially at the outpatient services, could be used to predict the metformin concentrations in the moat water.

The role of osteocalcin in atherogenesis is unclear. We investigated the association between osteocalcin and carotid atherosclerosis in Chinese middle-aged and elderly male adults and further determined whether osteocalcin is independently associated with the carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) in hyperglycemia subgroups. Subjects and methods. A total of 84 male participants (mean age, 59.13 years) were enrolled in groups of normal glucose tolerance (NGT), impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) according to the oral glucose tolerance test. A standard interview, anthropometric measurements and laboratory analyses were performed for each participant. Bilateral carotid intima–media thicknesses (CIMT) were measured using ultrasonography. The circulating osteocalcin was measured using quantitative enzyme immunoassay. Results. Both IGT and newly diagnosed T2DM groups had significantly lower osteocalcin levels compared with the NGT group (5.01 ± 0.68 μg/L, and 6.173 ± 0.68 ng/mL vs. 11.55 ± 0.57 μg/L, respectively). Multivariate linear stepwise regression analysis demonstrated that waisthip ratio(WHR) (standardized β = -0.408, P = 0.000), 2 hour plasma glucose after glucose load, (PPG) (standardized β = -0.235, P = 0.025), homeostasis model of assessment for insulin resistance index(HOMA-IR) (standardized β = -0.287, P = 0.004), and Glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) (standardized β = -0.250, P = 0.015) were independently and inversely associated with serum osteocalcin in hyperglycemia subgroups; PPG(standardized β = -0.476, P = 0.015), osteocalcin(standardized β = -0.486, P = 0.001) were negatively associated with CIMT, while TG (standardized β = 0.647, P = 0.000) was positively associated with CIMT in T2DM. Conclusion. These results showed that osteocalcin is independently associated with carotid atherosclerosis in men with T2DM. It is tempting to suggest that osteocalcin may be implicated atherosclerosis.