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Deciphering the toxicological mechanism of airway allergic diseases caused by dioctyl terephthalate: a composite study
Summary
Scientists studied DOTP, a chemical commonly used in plastics as a safer alternative to other plasticizers, and found it may trigger allergic breathing problems like asthma and chronic sinus infections. The research showed that DOTP can damage airway cells and activate immune system pathways that lead to allergic reactions. This suggests that even "safer" plastic chemicals might still pose health risks, especially for people prone to respiratory allergies.
Background Dioctyl terephthalate (DOTP), a common plasticizer alternative, has unclear immunotoxic effects on respiratory allergic diseases such as allergic rhinitis (AR), asthma (AS), chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), and allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA). Methods We integrated network toxicology, target mining, bioinformatics, and machine learning to explore DOTP’s potential role in allergic airway diseases. Shared targets were analyzed via PPI networks, enrichment analyses, immune profiling, single-cell data, and molecular docking. Key genes were validated in vitro using human airway epithelial cells. Results DOTP showed potential toxicity including carcinogenicity and nephrotoxicity. It shared 136 targets with allergic diseases, mainly involved in immune and apoptotic pathways. EGFR, BCL2, CFTR, SYK, and C3AR1 were identified as core genes. DOTP showed strong binding to these targets and induced cytotoxicity and gene expression changes in epithelial cells. Conclusion DOTP may promote allergic airway diseases via immune-related and multi-target mechanisms. These findings highlight potential health risks of DOTP exposure and warrant further investigation.