Di-N-octylphthalate acts as a proliferative agent in murine cell hepatocytes by regulating the levels of TGF-β and pro-apoptotic proteins

of the mechanism by which DNOP causes pre-neoplastic lesions. The figure shows that DNOP causes an increase in the rate of cell proliferation of normal hepatocytes through an increase in the expression of tgf-β and a decrease in pro-apoptotic proteins, while initiating an EMT state likely through an increase in tgf-β. Both the increase in cell proliferation and an induction of EMT arise in pre-neoplastic lesions.190