Quantitative label-free proteomic analysis of mouse ovarian antral follicles following oral exposure to a human-relevant mixture of three phthalates

Dibutyl phthalate (DBP), di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), and benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP) are used in personal and medical care products. In the ovary, antral follicles are essential for steroidogenesis and ovulation. DBP, BBP, and DEHP are known to inhibit mouse antral follicle growth and ovulation in vitro, and associate with decreased antral follicle counts in women. Given that the in vivo effects of a three-phthalate mixture on antral follicles are unknown, we evaluated the effects of a human-relevant mixture of DBP, BBP, and DEHP on ovarian follicles through proteome profiling analysis. Adult CD-1 female mice were fed corn oil (vehicle), or two dose levels of a phthalate mixture based on estimated exposures in general (32 μg/kg/d; PHT 32) and occupationally exposed (500 μg/kg/d; PHT 500) populations for 10 d. Antral follicles (>250 μm) were isolated and subjected to proteome profiling via label-free tandem mass spectrometry. A total of 5,417 antral follicle proteins were detected, of which 194 were differentially abundant between vehicle and PHT 32, and 136 between vehicle and PHT 500. Bioinformatic analysis revealed significantly different responses between the two phthalate doses. Protein abundance differences in the PHT 32 exposure mapped to cytoplasm, mitochondria, and lipid metabolism; whereas those in the PHT 500 exposure mapped to cytoplasm, nucleus, and phosphorylation. When both doses altered proteins mapped to common processes, the associated predicted transcription factors were different. These findings provide novel mechanistic insight into phthalate-associated, ovary-driven reproductive outcomes in women.