Common chemicals called phthalates, which are used in plastics, cosmetics and personal care products, may affect several different cell types in the human ovary. This is shown in a new study from Karolinska Institutet published in the journal eBioMedicine.

Phthalates are a group of chemicals used to make plastics more flexible and are also found in a variety of consumer products. In the new study, researchers investigated how MEHP, the primary breakdown product of the phthalate DEHP, affects human ovarian tissue.

Tissue samples from seven individuals were exposed to two concentrations of the substance. The lower concentration reflects levels commonly found in women in the general population. The researchers then analysed more than 12,000 individual cells using a technique known as single-cell sequencing.

“Our results show that phthalates affect considerably more cell types in the ovary than the egg cells and follicles that have traditionally been the focus of research,” says Pauliina Damdimopoulou, professor at the Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, Karolinska Institutet and senior author of the study. “The most unexpected finding was that cells from the ovary’s nervous system appeared to be particularly sensitive to the exposure.”

The detailed single-cell analysis was conducted on tissue from one donor, although the findings were validated using additional tissue samples. To confirm the results, the researchers also carried out complementary experiments on cultured cells. The study examined only one of several breakdown products of DEHP.

See the study for information on funding and potential conflicts of interest.