The plasticizer benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP) alters the ecdysone hormone pathway, the cellular response to stress, the energy metabolism, and several detoxication mechanisms in Chironomus riparius larvae

•The genomic toxic effects of butyl benzyl phthalate were evaluated in C. riparius.•BBP induced time and dose-dependent changes in the transcription levels analysed.•hsp70, hsp40 and hsp27 heat-shock genes were specific targets of the xenobiotic.•Alterations of hormone-related genes confirm BBP as an endocrine disruptor in insects.•BBP caused delayed toxic effects, not detected in conventional acute exposures.

Butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP) has been extensively used worldwide as a plasticizer in the polyvinyl chloride (PVC) industry and the manufacturing of many other products, and its presence in the aquatic environment is expected for decades. In the present study, the toxicity of BBP was investigated in Chironomus riparius aquatic larvae. The effects of acute 24-h and 48-h exposures to a wide range of BBP doses were evaluated at the molecular level by analysing changes in genes related to the stress response, the endocrine system, the energy metabolism, and detoxication pathways, as well as in the enzyme activity of glutathione S-transferase. BBP caused a dose and time-dependent toxicity in most of the selected biomarkers. 24-h exposures to high doses affected larval survival and lead to a significant response of several heat-shock genes (hsp70, hsp40, and hsp27), and to a clear endocrine disrupting effect by upregulating the ecdysone receptor gene (EcR). Longer treatments with low doses triggered a general repression of transcription and GST activity. Furthermore, delayed toxicity studies were specially relevant, since they allowed us to detect unpredictable toxic effects, not immediately manifested after contact with the phthalate. This study provides novel and interesting results on the toxic effects of BBP in C. riparius and highlights the suitability of this organism for ecotoxicological risk assessment, especially in aquatic ecosystems.

Graphical abstractFigure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide