Calcium homeostasis imbalance mediates DEHP induced mitochondrial damage in cerebellum and the antagonistic effect of lycopene.

Phthalates (PAEs), especially di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), are generally considered to have adverse impact on nervous system. The residue of DEHP in the environment has gradually become a widely concerned environmental problem due to its widespread use in plastic items. Lycopene (LYC) as the readily available natural antioxidant is considered to have the potential to alleviate exogenous poisons-induced nerve damage. However, there is currently a lack of strategies to alleviate the neurotoxicity caused by DEHP, and it is also unknown whether LYC can alleviate the neurotoxicity caused by DEHP. The experiment demonstrated that LYC had the potential to mitigate DEHP-induced mitochondrial damage in cerebellum. DEHP induced the disorder of Ca transport in cerebellum, thereby resulting in the imbalance of protein homeostasis. Such disruption in protein homeostasis further results in the overactivation of mitochondrial unfolded protein response (UPR) and mitochondrial injury. Mechanistically, LYC could alleviate the imbalance of calcium homeostasis and protein homeostasis induced by DEHP via regulating inositol 1, 4, 5-trisphosphate receptor type1 (IP3R1) and sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca (2+)-ATPase 2 (SERCA2), further alleviating mitochondrial damage in cerebellum. Subsequently, the present study suggested the mechanism of cerebellar injury induced by DEHP, and provided a novel approach to treating DEHP-induced neurotoxicity.