DEHP Plasticizer Triggers Lifelong Anxiety in Male Rats
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- University of Buenos Aires researchers found that male rats exposed to DEHP during prenatal and early postnatal development showed significantly higher anxiety as adults, even after exposure had ended.
- DEHP, a plasticizer common in medical devices, toys, shower curtains, and raincoats, was administered orally to pregnant rats from day 1 of pregnancy until weaning, with male offspring tested at 70 days using an elevated plus maze.
- DEHP-exposed rats spent less time in open arms of the maze, stayed longer in enclosed arms, and exhibited more freezing behavior — classic rodent anxiety indicators.
- GABA agonist or testosterone treatment reversed the anxiety-related behaviors in DEHP-exposed rats, pointing to specific neuroendocrine pathways behind the effect.
- Osvaldo Juan Ponzo, M.D., Ph.D., professor of physiology at the University of Buenos Aires, presented the work at ENDO 2026 in Chicago, calling it evidence that one of the world's most widely used plasticizers can cause lasting behavioral change from early-life exposure.
Why it matters: DEHP is one of the most widely used plasticizers globally, present in medical devices, toys, shower curtains, and raincoats — so evidence that early-life exposure permanently alters anxiety-related behavior in rats, persisting after exposure ends, sharpens the case for scrutinizing prenatal and infant chemical exposure. The identification of GABA and testosterone as the pathways the effect travels through gives researchers concrete mechanistic leads rather than a purely correlational warning.
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