Maternal Disononyl Phthalate Exposure Activates Allergic Airway Inflammation via Stimulating the Phosphoinositide 3-kinase/Akt Pathway in Rat Pups

Objective To evaluate the effect of diisononyl phthalate (DINP) exposure during gestation and lactation on allergic response in pups and to explore the role of phosphoinositide 3-kinase/Akt pathway on it. Methods Female Wistar rats were treated with DINP at different dosages (0, 5, 50, and 500 mg/kg of body weight per day). The pups were sensitized and challenged by ovalbumin (OVA). The airway response was assessed; the airway histological studies were performed by hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining; and the relative cytokines in phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt pathway were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and western blot analysis. Results There was no significant difference in DINP's effect on airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) between male pups and female pups. In the 50 mg/(kg.d) DINP-treated group, airway response to OVA significantly increased and pups showed dramatically enhanced pulmonary resistance (RI) compared with those from controls (P<0.05). Enhanced Akt phosphorylation and NF-kappa B translocation, and Th2 cytokines expression were observed in pups of 50 mg/(kg.d) DINP-treated group. However, in the 5 and 500 mg/(kg.d) DINP-treated pups, no significant effects were observed. Conclusion There was an adjuvant effect of DINP on allergic airway inflammation in pups. Maternal DINP exposure could promote OVA-induced allergic airway response in pups in part by upregulation of PI3K/Akt pathway.