Differential tissue regulation of PPAR α and CB1 gene transcription pathways by DEGB: preliminary observations in a seabream (Sparus aurata) in vivo model

Publication date: Available online 19 August 2017 Source:Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology Author(s): Paolo Cocci, Matteo Mozzicafreddo, Mauro Angeletti, Gilberto Mosconi, Francesco Alessandro Palermo Today a variety of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are recognized in the group of metabolic disruptors, a wide range of environmental contaminants that alter energy balance regulation by affecting the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)/retinoid X receptor (RXR) pathway. Herein, we investigated the effect of diethylene glycol dibenzoate (DEGB), a dibenzoate-based plasticizer used as alternative to phthalates, on the expression of key genes involved in lipid metabolism and energy balance by using Sparus aurata juveniles as models. We also evaluated the correlation between cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1) and PPARα transcriptional patterns in both liver and brain tissues. Exposure to the highest DEGB concentration differentially modulated PPARα/CB1 transcriptional pathways in liver/brain tissues of seabream. We hypothesize that, at peripheral level (i.e. liver), DEGB acts as PPARα agonist resulting in a potential stimulation of key lipolytic genes and a concomitant down-regulation of endocannabinoid metabolic enzyme genes.
Source: Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology - Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research