Short-term propylparaben exposure alters the expression of key factors in the ovary and oviduct of adult mice.

Authors

Jie Li, Ayelet Ziv-Gal

Published in

Reproductive toxicology (Elmsford, N.Y.). Pages 109312. Aug 09, 2026. Epub Aug 09, 2026.

Abstract

Propylparaben is an antimicrobial preservative commonly found in consumer products. Recent studies suggest that it has endocrine-disrupting properties and may adversely affect female reproductive health. However, it remains unclear whether short-term propylparaben exposure affects the ovaries and oviducts of adult females. This study examined the effects of 10 days of exposure to environmentally relevant levels of propylparaben on selected genes, hormone levels, and protein expression in the murine ovary and oviduct. Adult CD-1 mice (n=6/per group) were orally administered vehicle control (corn oil) or propylparaben at 20μg/kg/day, 200μg/kg/day, or 20mg/kg/day by dispensing the dosing solution from a pipette tip into the oral cavity. After dosing, sera, ovaries, and oviducts were collected. Serum was used to measure progesterone and estradiol levels. Ovaries and oviducts were analyzed for the expression of steroidogenic regulators, apoptotic factors, antioxidant enzymes, epithelial cell markers, and estrogen receptor alpha. Differences between propylparaben-treated groups and controls were evaluated statistically. In the ovary, propylparaben selectively increased mRNA levels of Cyp17a1 (20mg/kg/day), Cyp19a1 (20mg/kg/day), and Bcl2 (20 and 200μg/kg/day) compared with controls (p<0.05). In the oviduct, propylparaben selectively increased mRNA levels of Bcl2 (20 and 200μg/kg/day), Bax (all groups), and Gpx1 (20mg/kg/day), and decreased protein levels of the ciliated cell marker acetylated-α-tubulin (20μg/kg/day) compared with controls (p<0.05). Last, hormone levels were similar across treatment groups (p>0.05). These findings suggest that short-term propylparaben exposure alters key regulators in the ovary and oviduct, yet the broader implications for female reproductive health remain unclear.

PMID:
42571801
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 10 Aug 2026.

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