Endocrine disrupting compounds exposure and testis development in mammals
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Date
2011-10-10
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors.
Abstract
In the last few decades, there is substantial evidence that male reproductive function is deteriorating
in humans and wildlife and this is associated with unintentional exposure to widely
used synthetic chemicals. Subsequently, much has been done to show that certain chemicals
in the environment adversely interfere with the developing fetal gonads of the laboratory animals.
Some in vitro studies have demonstrated treatment-induced reproductive problems in
offspring exposed to endocrine disrupting compounds (EDC) which are similar to those observed
in wildlife and human population. Few EDC studies have demonstrated that there are
certain periods of gestation when the developing fetus is highly sensitive and at risk of small
endocrine changes. Similar observations have been made in the sewage sludge model, however,
while animal studies have been insightful in providing valuable information about the
range of effects that can be attributed to in utero exposure to EDCs, varying levels of maternal
doses administered in different studies exaggerated extrapolation of these results to human.
Thus the EDC concentration representative of fetal exposure levels is uncertain because
of the complexities of its nature. So far, the level of fetal exposure can only be roughly estimated.
There is substantial evidence from animal data to prove that EDCs can adversely affect
reproductive development and function in male and more has accumulated on the mechanisms
by which they exert their effects. This paper therefore, reviews previous