Female sexual maturation and reproduction after prepubertal exposure to estrogens and endocrine disrupting chemicals: A review of rodent and human data

Abstract

Natural hormones and some synthetic chemicals spread into our surrounding environment share the capacity to interact with hormone action and metabolism. Exposure to such compounds can cause a variety of developmental and reproductive detrimental abnormalities in wildlife species and, potentially, in human. Many experimental and epidemiological data have reported that exposure of the developing fetus or neonate to environmentally relevant concentrations of some among these endocrine disrupters induces morphological, biochemical and/or physiological disorders in brain and reproductive organs, by interfering with the hormone actions. The impact of such exposures on the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis and subsequent sexual maturation is the subject of the present review. We will highlight epidemiological human studies and the effects of early exposure during gestational, perinatal or postnatal life in female rodents.

Pharmacokinetic Variability and Modern Epidemiology—The Example of Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, Body Mass Index, and Birth Cohort

“…Breast cancer has been most widely investigated, but research has also implicated HHCs in non -Hodkin's lymphoma (1) and testicular cancer (2), among others. HHC have also been studied in relation to noncancer effects, including fertility, fecundity, pregnancy outcomes, child growth, sexual maturation, neurologic development, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and degenerative neurologic diseases (3)(4)(5)(6).…”

Mutagenicity and DNA Damage of Bisphenol a and its Structural Analogues in Hepg2 Cells

“…Average exposure concentrations range from 10 μg kg -1 to 70 μg kg -1 in solid canned food and from 1 μg L -1 to 23 μg L -1 in liquid canned food (1). BPA has been under scrutiny due to concerns over potential adverse health effects related to its endocrine-disrupting activity (2)(3). The first regulatory risk assessment report on BPA published by the Canadian government (4) has resulted in the ban of BPA in baby bottles in Canada.…”

“…The main mechanism underlying BPA-induced adverse effects is endocrine disruption that may lead to developmental and/or reproductive disorders (2)(3). Moreover, endocrine disruptors may induce carcinogenic effects due to epigenetic events or due to genotoxic effects.…”

Children's Environment in Brazil: From Domestic (Indoor) to Regional Threats

“…In that sense, that exposure to agrochemicals and pesticides increase the prevalence of morbimortality due to cancer in the infant-juvenile population, and is also a possible risk factor for adverse effects during pregnancy, such as acute leukemia, premature parturition and improper maturation [125,126,128]. Another perspective on this type of exposure is the study conducted by Rasier et al [174] that reported exposure of the developing fetus or neonate to environmentally relevant concentrations of certain chemicals, among them endocrine disrupters, induces morphological, biochemical and/or physiological disorders in the brain and reproductive organs, by interfering with hormone actions. In our research, we did not find articles focusing this issue in the Brazilian children.…”