MEHP exposure damages the basement membrane by suppressing the expression of its constituent proteins in peritubular myoid cells of the rat testis
Clicks: 6
ID: 317859
2026
Article Quality & Performance Metrics
Overall Quality
Not rated
Combines reader engagement with the AI quality analysis. This
article has not been analysed, so there is no overall score —
reader engagement is measured and shown alongside.
Reader Engagement
Steady Performance
1.5
/100
6 views
0 readers
AI Quality Assessment
Not analyzed
Readership in this journal
SteadyRanked #66 of 123 articles by views in toxicological sciences : an official journal of the society of toxicology
Most read
Least read
Bar heights use a square-root scale. Only the 120 most-read articles are drawn; the journal has 123 in total.
Mint this article as an NFT
Not yet mintedCreate a permanent, verifiable on-chain record of this article on the Scimatic Network. The NFT is held in your Journament account, and you can withdraw it to your own wallet at any time.
5
SUSD
one-off · no wallet required
Abstract
The basement membrane (BM) is a crucial support structure of the seminiferous epithelium, mainly made up of collagens, fibronectin, laminins, and proteoglycans. Along with the collagen fiber network, the peritubular myoid cell (PTMC) forms the tunica propria, which acts as a protective barrier for the blood-testis barrier (BTB). Here, we examined how PTMCs respond to mono-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (MEHP) exposure by altering the transcriptomic and proteomic profiles of extracellular matrix proteins, which are essential structural components of the BM. Bulk RNA was used for transcriptomics, and protein lysates were prepared for proteomics from primary PTMC isolates. Interstitial fluid (IF) was utilized to assess the baseline microenvironment of the testis, and the in vivo relevance of the protein changes was confirmed through immunofluorescence of testis cross-sections. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) revealed a suppression of genes in the basement membrane-linked pathway after MEHP exposure. These findings are further supported by proteomics analysis of PTMC lysates. Notably, downregulation of key basement membrane components-such as collagen IV, fibronectin, laminin, and others-was observed alongside the classical complement activation pathway in the testis microenvironment, specifically in the interstitial fluid. The data indicate that MEHP exposure downregulated the expression of BM component proteins in PTMC, underscoring the interconnections among BM degradation, BTB disruption, spermatogenesis, and disorganization of seminiferous tubule architecture during MEHP-induced testicular injury.
| Reference Key |
openalex_W7165189832
Use this key to autocite in the manuscript while using
SciMatic Manuscript Manager or Thesis Manager
|
|---|---|
| Authors | Narayan Acharya, John H. Richburg |
| Journal | toxicological sciences : an official journal of the society of toxicology |
| Year | 2026 |
| DOI |
10.1093/toxsci/kfag070
|
| URL | |
| Keywords | Keywords not found |
Citations
No citations found. To add a citation, contact the admin at info@scimatic.org
Comments
No comments yet. Be the first to comment on this article.