Effect of Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate onHelicobacter pylori-Induced Apoptosis in AGS Cells

Plastic products are wildly used in human life. Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) is an essential additive in plastic manufacturing and is used as plasticizer for many products including plastic food packaging. DEHP is a teratogenic compound and can cause potent reproductive toxicity. DEHP can also cause liver damage, peroxisome proliferation, and carcinogenesis. DEHP is also strongly associated with peptic ulcers and gastric cancer; however, the underlying effect and mechanism of DEHP on the gastrointestinal tract are not entirely clear. The oral infection route ofH. pyloriparallels the major ingestion route of DEHP into the human body. Therefore, we wanted to study the effect of DEHP andH. pyloriexposure on the human gastric epithelial cell line, AGS (gastric adenocarcinoma). The viability of the AGS cell line was significantly lower in 80 μM-DEHP andH. pylori(MOI = 100 : 1) coexposure than DEHP orH. pylorialone. DEHP andH. pyloricoexposure also induced caspase-3 activation, and increased Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and DNA fragmentation in AGS cells. These results indicate that DEHP can enhanceH. pyloricytotoxicity and induce gastric epithelial cell apoptosis. Therefore, it is possible that DEHP andH. pyloricoexposure might enhance the disruption of the gastric mucosa integrity and potentially promote the pathogenesis of gastric carcinogenesis.