ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the reversibility of di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) effects on F(1) generation rat testes.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Pregnant rats were treated with different dose of DBP (0, 50, 250 and 500 mg per kg per day) by gavage from GD1 to PND21. The adverse effects of DBP on testes of F(1) male rats in different developmental period (PND14, 21 and 70) were observed by anatomy and pathological methods.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>There was no difference in rat testis weight and testis/body weight between DBP-treated group and the control. From the results of pathology and sertoli cell counting, comparing with the control, thinner seminiferous epithelium, decreased cell number and vacuole cells were observed in PND14 male DBP-treated rats. In PND21 rats, the number and form of sertoli cells were recovered and few exfoliated spermatogenic cells were found. When maturing to PND70, few rats were found irreversible damages such as seminiferous tubule degeneration, seminiferous epithelium atrophy, etc.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>These results suggest that adverse effects of DBP on young rat testes should be reversibility.</p>