MEHP inhibits the production of testosterone and 5α-DHT by the fetal testis.

Effects of MEHP on the production of testosterone and 5α-DHT by fetal rat testes cultured for 72 h beginning on GD14.5. Testosterone and 5α-DHT were determined with specific RIAs. Control testes were cultured in medium containing DMSO, whereas the treated testes were cultured in medium containing 1, 10 or 100 µM MEHP diluted in DMSO. The testes of different fetuses from different dams were selected at random. Values are means +/− SEM of 10 testes from the fetuses of 2 litters in 3 independent experiments. The number indicates the percentage decrease relative to the corresponding control. * p<0.05 in Wilcoxon Mann-Whitney tests comparing treated and control testes in the 5alpha-DHT assay * p<0.05 in non parametric ANOVA for the MEHP dose-response testosterone assay.