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Monaco et al. J Environ Expo Assess 2024;3:18 Journal of Environmental
DOI: 10.20517/jeea.2024.10
Exposure Assessment

Research Article Open Access

Effects of early life exposure to di(2-ethylhexyl)
phthalate on jejunal morphology, sucrase activity,

and colonic microbiota composition in young pigs

1
3,4
2,3
1
1
Marcia H. Monaco , Sierra Coyne , Mei Wang , Jodi A. Flaws , Joseph M. Irudayaraj , Isaac Cann 3,5,6 ,
Sharon M. Donovan 1,3
1
Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES),
University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 60801, USA.
2
Department of Comparative Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 60801, USA.
3
Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 60801, USA.
4
Department of Bioengineering, Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 60801, USA.
5
Department of Animal Sciences, College of ACES, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 60801, USA.
6
Department of Microbiology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 60801, USA.
Correspondence to: Dr. Sharon M. Donovan, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, College of Agricultural,
Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES), University of Illinois, 339 Bevier Hall, 905 South Goodwin Ave, Urbana, IL 61801,
USA. E-mail: sdonovan@illinois.edu
How to cite this article: Monaco MH, Coyne S, Wang M, Flaws JA, Irudayaraj JM, Cann I, Donovan SM. Effects of early life
exposure to di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate on jejunal morphology, sucrase activity, and colonic microbiota composition in young
pigs. J Environ Expo Assess 2024;3:18. https://dx.doi.org/10.20517/jeea.2024.10
Received: 17 Feb 2024 First Decision: 30 May 2024 Revised: 6 Aug 2024 Accepted: 8 Aug 2024 Published: 16 Aug 2024
Academic Editors: Jose L Domingo, Stuart Harrad, Per Ola Darnerud Copy Editor: Pei-Yun Wang Production Editor: Pei-Yun
Wang

Abstract
The diesters of 1,2-benzenedicarboxylic acid (phthalic acid), or phthalates, are multifunctional chemicals used in
personal care products, medications, and plastics. Phthalate metabolites are also found in human milk and infant
formula. However, their impact on intestinal development and microbiota composition in early life is understudied.
Herein, the effect of di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) on growth, intestinal morphology, enzyme activity, and
microbiota composition was assessed. Piglets (two-day-old, n = 24) were randomized to receive either 20 mg
(DEHP20) or 200 mg (DEHP200)/kg body weight (BW)/day in corn oil. A control group (CON, 0 mg phthalate)
received the same volume of corn oil as DEHP200. After 21 days, tissue and urine samples were collected. DEHP
did not affect weight gain. Urinary DEHP metabolite concentrations increased in a dose-dependent fashion. Jejunal
villus length was significantly shorter in the DEHP200 than CON and DEHP20, while villus area was smaller in
DEHP200 than DEHP20 but not CON. Crypt depth and area were higher in DEHP200 than DEHP20, but neither

© The Author(s) 2024. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, sharing,
adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, for any purpose, even commercially, as
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