Curcumin attenuates diphenyl phosphate-induced apoptosis in GC-2spd(ts) cells through activated autophagy via the Nrf2/P53 pathway

Diphenyl phosphate (DPhP) is one of the frequently used derivatives of aryl phosphate esters and is used as a plasticizer in industrial production. Like other plasticizers, DPhP is not chemically bound and can easily escape into the environment, thereby affecting human health. DPhP has been associated with developmental toxicity, reproductive toxicity, neurodevelopmental toxicity, and interference with thyroid homeostasis. However, understanding of the underlying mechanism of DPhP on the reproductive toxicity of GC-2spd(ts) cells remains limited. For the first time, we investigated the effect of DPhP on GC-2spd(ts) cell apoptosis. By decreasing nuclear factor erythroid-derived 2-related factor (Nrf2)/p53 signaling, DPhP inhibited autophagy and promoted apoptosis. DPhP reduced total antioxidant capacity and nuclear Nrf2 and its downstream target gene expression. In addition, we investigated the protective effects of Curcumin (Cur) against DPhP toxicity. Cur attenuated the DPhP-induced rise in p53 expression while increasing Nrf2 expression. Cur inhibited DPhP-induced apoptosis in GC-2spd(ts) cells by activating autophagy via Nrf2/p53 signaling. In conclusion, our study provides new insights into the reproductive toxicity hazards of DPhP and demonstrates that Cur is an important therapeutic agent for alleviating DPhP-induced reproductive toxicity by regulating Nrf2/p53 signaling.