EFFECT OF POSTNATAL LOW-DOSE EXPOSURE TO ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICALS ON THE GUT MICROBIOME IN A RODENT MODEL

Using the Sprague-Dawley rat model, three chemicals that are widely used in personal care products, i.e. diethyl phthalate (DEP), methyl paraben (MPB), triclosan (TCS) and their mixture (MIX), were administered at doses comparable to human exposure from birth through adulthood. The fecal samples were collected at two time points, i.e. postnatal day (PND) 62 (adolescence) and PND 181 (adulthood). The gut microbiome was profiled by 16S rRNA gene sequencing followed by taxonomic assignment and diversity analysis.