On 3 July 2026, PhD student Vasilije Živaljević from our partner Institute for Biological Research “Siniša Stanković” presented ongoing EDC-MASLD research at the ESE Summer School 2026 in Innsbruck, Austria.
The poster, titled “Effects of Perinatal Exposure to Diisononyl Cyclohexane-1,2-Dicarboxylate (DINCH) on the Development of Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease in Male and Female Mice,” was authored by Vasilije Živaljević, Milivoje Konstantinović, Sanja Kovačević, Ana Đorđević and Nataša Veličković.
What is DINCH and why are we studying it?
DINCH is a plasticizer, a chemical used to make plastics softer and more flexible. It is increasingly used as an alternative to traditional phthalates in medical devices, food-contact materials, and consumer products. Despite its growing use and widespread human exposure, relatively little is known about its possible long-term effects on metabolic health when exposure happens during early development.
Team at IBISS is investigating whether exposure to DINCH during pregnancy and early development could make offspring more susceptible to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) later in life.
Using a mouse model to investigate this question, both male and female offspring are included so the study can explore whether early DINCH exposure may affect the sexes differently.
The study is designed to look at several aspects of health. These include body weight, food intake, how the body handles sugar, blood markers and changes in liver tissue. The team will also investigate biological processes that could help explain how early DINCH exposure might influence liver metabolism.
The poster also presented preliminary computer-based findings that are helping the team identify possible biological mechanisms of DINCH.
The work presented at the ESE Summer School therefore introduced the rationale, experimental approach and expected outcomes of this ongoing EDC-MASLD study.
Through this research, team at IBISS contributes to a better understanding of how exposure to environmental chemicals during sensitive stages of development may influence liver and metabolic health later in life.
