Shared and divergent neurotoxic mechanisms of Bisphenol A and Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate with implication for Alzheimer's disease: Insights from network toxicology and in vitro validation.

Bisphenol A (BPA) and di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) are widely recognized environmental neurotoxicants implicated in Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the shared and divergent mechanisms by which BPA and DEHP induce neurotoxicity in AD remain largely unexplored. In this study, we conducted the first systematic comparative analysis of overlapping and distinct neurotoxic pathways of BPA and DEHP by integrating network toxicology and in vitro experimental validation. Five shared core targets (MMP9, PPARG, MAPK14, BCL2, and BCL2L1) were identified from multiple databases. Experimental validation confirmed that BPA and DEHP significantly upregulated MMP9, PPARG, and phosphorylated MAPK14, while downregulating BCL2 and BCL2L1 at both transcriptional and protein levels. KEGG pathway enrichment revealed both shared and divergent pathways, with the lipid and atherosclerosis pathway emerging as a common AD-relevant pathway, whereas BPA and DEHP showed compound-specific involvement in PI3K-Akt, MAPK, and other signaling cascades. Molecular docking analysis further demonstrated favorable binding of both BPA and DEHP to the shared core targets. Collectively, this study provides novel mechanistic insights into both overlapping and distinct neurotoxic effects of BPA and DEHP in AD, offering a theoretical basis for future mechanistic research and environmental risk assessment.