Empirical studies of the effects of endocrine disrupting compounds on male reproductive physiology

2001 ◽  
Vol 2001 ◽  
pp. 230-230
Author(s):  
T. Sweeney ◽  
J. Fox ◽  
A.G. Morrison ◽  
C. Wright ◽  
S. Ni Cheallaigh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Behaviour ◽  
Endocrine Disrupting Compounds ◽  
Physiological Effect ◽  
Current Data ◽  
Environmental Chemicals ◽  
Farm Animals ◽  
Fetal Life ◽  
Testis Size ◽  
Male Adult ◽  
Endocrine Disrupting

Concerns have been raised about the potential adverse effects on reproductive health in farm animals, humans, and wildlife species from a range of environmental chemicals that disrupt normal hormonal actions. The alkylphenol polyethoxylates are non-ionic surfactants used in the manufacture of detergents, paints and herbicides. During sewage treatment, these compounds are broken down to short chain alkylphenol polyethoxylates, alkylphenol carboxylic acids and alkylphenols which bioaccumulate in the lipid of living organisms. The estrogenic nature of one of these compounds - octylphenol has been clearly demonstrated in cell culture, in a recombinant yeast screen with human estrogen receptor?and in animal studies. It is proposed that these endocrine disrupting compounds influence male adult reproductive potential by disrupting the development of the hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular axis during fetal life. We have recently identified that exposure to octylphenol for the second half of gestation decreases circulating concentrations of FSH during fetal life and the number of Sertoli cells of the testis and testis size at birth in comparison to control animals (Sweeney et al., 2000). However, the testes size, % interstitial space, semen volume, semen concentration and % live semen was similar in both treatment groups in the adult. In contrast animals exposed to octylphenol from birth to weaning (16 weeks of age) had a significantly greater number of primary and secondary abnormalities in comparison to controls and animals exposed to octylphenol for the second half of gestation. A number of the animals exposed to octylphenol from birth to weaning exhibited augmented sexual behaviour, while those exposed to octylphenol for the second half of pregnancy showed a suppression of sexual behaviour. The current data suggests the physiological effect of exposure to octylphenol is dependant on the time and duration of exposure. This has major implications for the determination of universal end-point measurements to assess exposure to endocrine disrupting compounds.

scholarly journals Environmental toxic Endocrine Disrupting Compounds (EDCs): Effects on environment, animal production and human

2017 ◽  
Vol 58 (4) ◽  
pp. 321 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. DOSIS (Ι. ΔΟΣΗΣ) ◽  
A. KAMARIANOS (Α. ΚΑΜΑΡΙΑΝΟΣ)
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factor ◽  
Immune System ◽  
Adverse Effects ◽  
Endocrine Disrupting Compounds ◽  
Environmental Chemicals ◽  
Animal Origin ◽  
Sufficient Evidence ◽  
Continuous Exposure ◽  
Endocrine Disrupting ◽  
Route Of Exposure

Endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) encompass a variety of chemical classes, including several different categories of substances. Some are natural, such as plant oestrogens and mycoestrogens, while most are chemically composed. Residues are found in water, in sewage sludge, in the atmosphere and in foodstuff of vegitative or animal origin. The most common compounds include organochlorine pesticides, alkyl phenols, pthalates, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dioxins and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). Their properties render some as ubiquitous and persistent in the environment, they can be transported long distances and have been found in virtually all regions of the world. Their sources can vary from direct, such as effluents from wastewater, sewage, industrial sludge processes or agricultural effluents, to indirect, such as filtering agricultural soils, transportation through rain or air from civil and industrial centers to rivers and the surrounding environment. Others are rapidly degraded in the environment or human body or may be present for only short periods of time, but at critical periods of development. Although in low concentrations, the continuous exposure of animals of many species, including humans, induces adverse effects, such as disruption of reproductive function and of the immune system, as well as carcinogenic effects. The effects are obvious in wildlife, especially fish, and laboratory experiments. Sex change (feminizing) in fish has been observed, sexual differentiation in rats, egg shelling thinning, thyroid function disruption and mental and physical function disruption in wildlife. Most important and common is the disruption in the reproductive and the immune system of animals. As far as humans are concerned, reduction in sperm count and sperm quality has been heavily linked with EDC exposure, and furthermore, suspicions arise linking several cancer incident increments, such as testicular cancer, to EDC exposure. Still, although it is clear that many environmental chemicals can interfere with normal hormonal processes, there is weak evidence that human health can be adversely and directly affected by exposure to endocrine active chemicals. However, there is sufficient evidence to conclude that adverse endocrine mediated effects have occurred in wildlife species and laboratory studies exist to support these conclusions. The routes of exposure are numerous. Food is a common route of exposure, especially in younger animals that consume food containing higher fat percentages (e.g. milk). Soil is another route of exposure. Thus grazing animals tend to have a higher risk factor, due to surface soil pollution with EDCs. A vegetative nutrition with EDC residues is another high risk factor for these animals. On the other hand, animals bred with forage tend to be at lower risk factor, given that food is tested for low levels of EDCs. Water intake is not considered a significant route of exposure. EDCs possess the ability to act as either hormone agonists or antagonists or disrupt hormone synthesis, storage or metabolism. Due to their persistence in the environment, they are concentrated in fat tissue and are released when the fat is mobilized duringpregnancy or lactation, thus exposing embryos and neonates, which are very susceptible at this stage of development, to high concentrations of EDCs. The concerns that arise regarding the exposure to these EDCs are due primarily to:- these adverse effects observed in certain wildlife, fish and ecosystems- the increased incidences of certain endocrine-related human diseases and- endocrine disruption resulting from exposure to certain environmental chemicals observed in laboratory experimental animals.

Nanofiltration of endocrine disrupting compounds

2003 ◽  
Vol 3 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 321-327 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Gallenkemper ◽  
T. Wintgens ◽  
T. Melin
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Municipal Wastewater ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Endocrine Disrupting Compounds ◽  
Municipal Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Water And Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Endocrine Disrupting ◽  
Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Set Up

Endocrine disrupting compounds can affect the hormone system in organisms. A wide range of endocrine disrupters were found in sewage and effluents of municipal wastewater treatment plants. Toxicological evaluations indicate that conventional wastewater treatment plants are not able to remove these substances sufficiently before disposing effluent into the environment. Membrane technology, which is proving to be an effective barrier to these substances, is the subject of this research. Nanofiltration provides high quality permeates in water and wastewater treatment. Eleven different nanofiltration membranes were tested in the laboratory set-up. The observed retention for nonylphenol (NP) and bisphenol A (BPA) ranged between 70% and 100%. The contact angle is an indicator for the hydrophobicity of a membrane, whose influence on the permeability and retention of NP was evident. The retention of BPA was found to be inversely proportional to the membrane permeability.

Environmental exposures to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and their role in endometriosis: a systematic literature review

2020 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Diksha Sirohi ◽  
Ruqaiya Al Ramadhani ◽  
Luke D. Knibbs
Keyword(s):  
Bisphenol A ◽  
Phthalate Esters ◽  
Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals ◽  
Environmental Pollutants ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Environmental Chemicals ◽  
Reproductive Age ◽  
Organochlorinated Pesticides ◽  
Endocrine Disrupting ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractPurposeEndocrine-related diseases and disorders are on the rise globally. Synthetically produced environmental chemicals (endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs)) mimic hormones like oestrogen and alter signalling pathways. Endometriosis is an oestrogen-dependent condition, affecting 10–15% of women of the reproductive age, and has substantial impacts on the quality of life. The aetiology of endometriosis is believed to be multifactorial, ranging from genetic causes to immunologic dysfunction due to environmental exposure to EDCs. Hence, we undertook a systematic review and investigated the epidemiological evidence for an association between EDCs and the development of endometriosis. We also aimed to assess studies on the relationship between body concentration of EDCs and the severity of endometriosis.MethodFollowing PRISMA guidelines, a structured search of PubMed, Embase and Scopus was conducted (to July 2018). The included studies analysed the association between one or more EDCs and the prevalence of endometriosis. The types of EDCs, association and outcome, participant characteristics and confounding variables were extracted and analysed. Quality assessment was performed using standard criteria.ResultsIn total, 29 studies were included. Phthalate esters were positively associated with the prevalence of endometriosis. The majority (71%) of studies revealed a significant association between bisphenol A, organochlorinated environmental pollutants (dioxins, dioxin-like compounds, organochlorinated pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls) and the prevalence of endometriosis. A positive association between copper, chromium and prevalence of endometriosis was demonstrated in one study only. Cadmium, lead and mercury were not associated with the prevalence of endometriosis. There were conflicting results for the association between nickel and endometriosis. The relationship of EDCs and severity of endometriosis was not established in the studies.ConclusionWe found some evidence to suggest an association between phthalate esters, bisphenol A, organochlorinated environmental pollutants and the prevalence of endometriosis. Disentangling these exposures from various other factors that affect endometriosis is complex, but an important topic for further research.

scholarly journals Effects of the Hedgehog signalling inhibitor itraconazole on developing rat ovaries

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanna Katarina Lilith Johansson ◽  
Camilla Taxvig ◽  
Gustav Peder Mohr Olsen ◽  
Terje Svingen
Keyword(s):  
Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals ◽  
Endocrine Disrupting Compounds ◽  
Perinatal Period ◽  
Endocrine Function ◽  
Ovary Development ◽  
Knock Out ◽  
Female Reproductive Health ◽  
Endocrine Disrupting ◽  
Hh Signaling ◽  
Knock Out Mice

Abstract Early ovary development is considered to be largely hormone independent, yet there are associations between fetal exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals and reproductive disorders in women. This can potentially be explained by perturbations to establishment of ovarian endocrine function rather than interference with an already established hormone system. In this study we explore if Hedgehog (HH) signaling, a central pathway for correct ovary development, can be disrupted by exposure to HH-disrupting chemicals, using the antifungal itraconazole as model compound. In the mouse Leydig cell line TM3, used as a proxy for ovarian theca cells, itraconazole exposure had a suppressing effect on genes downstream of HH signaling, such as Gli1. Exposing explanted rat ovaries (gestational day 22 or postnatal day 3) to 30 µM itraconazole for 72 h induced significant suppression of genes in the HH signaling pathway with altered Ihh, Gli1, Ptch1, and Smo expression similar to those previously observed in Ihh/Dhh knock-out mice. Exposing rat dams to 50 mg/kg bw/day in the perinatal period did not induce observable changes in the offspring’s ovaries. Overall, our results suggest that HH signal disruptors may affect ovary development with potential long-term consequences for female reproductive health. However, potent HH inhibitors would likely cause severe teratogenic effects at doses lower than those causing ovarian dysgenesis, so the concern with respect to reproductive disorder is for the presence of HH disruptors at low concentration in combination with other ovary or endocrine disrupting compounds.

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