Study analyzes effects of DiNP on colon

Phthalates are often used to make more flexible or stable products, including artificial leather, footwear, plastic food packaging and personal care products

DiNP is an alternative to bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, another chemical commonly added to plastics to make it elastic

To see if DiNP was harmful, the team used different doses of DiNP to test how it affected the gut lining, immune system and colonic microbes

The researchers fed female mice corn oil as a control, or different doses of DiNP

Although the reason why the immune cells enter this area is unclear, the researchers confirmed their observations by measuring the chemicals released by these cells

In addition to studying colon tissue, the researchers used 16S rRNA gene sequencing to identify bacteria in the colon contents

"These taxonomies are still relatively high-level, and you need to look at species or strains to determine the function of these identified microbes," Chiu said

Interestingly, the researchers also identified three microorganisms that were able to grow on DiNPs: Desulfobacillus hafni, Bacillus barrengolts, and Proteus miraculous

Jodi Flaws, professor of comparative biological sciences (EIRH co-leader/MME), said: "We also wanted to see what the effects of long-term exposure to DiNP would be because people are exposed to DiNP for a long time, whereas in this study we only looked at short-term exposure

article title

Isolation of DiNP-degrading microbes from the mouse colon and the influence DiNP exposure has on the microbiota, intestinal integrity, and immune status of the colon