Xenoestrogens from synthetic or natural origin represent an increasing risk of disrupted endocrine functions including the physiological activity of the hypothalamo-pituitary-gonad axis. Ethinyl estradiol (EE2) is a synthetic estrogen used in contraceptive pills, whereas zearalenone (ZEA) is a natural mycoestrogen found with increasing prevalence in various cereal crops. Both EE2 and ZEA are ag...

Among endocrine disruptors, the xenoestrogen bisphenol A (BPA) deserves particular attention due to widespread human exposure. Besides hormonal effects, BPA has been suspected to be involved in breast and prostate carcinogenesis, which share similar estrogen-related mechanisms. We previously demonstrated that administration of BPA to female mice results in the formation of DNA adducts and prote...

The cumulative effects of environmental toxicants, for example, the alkylphenol, para-nonylphenol (p-NP) are of concern. Our previous study showed that p-NP reduced several testicular morphometric parameters, including sperm counts. The present study reexamined material collected in that study to determine the mechanistic basis of p-NP action on spermatogenic development in the offspring. Seven...

Cadmium (Cd) is a heavy metal of considerable occupational and environmental concern affecting wildlife and human health. Recent studies indicate that Cd, like other heavy metals, can mimic effects of 17β-estradiol (E2) involving E2 receptor (ER) activation. Lactotrophs, the most abundant cell type in anterior pituitary gland, are the main target of E2, which stimulates cell proliferation and i...

In addition to regulating estrogen receptor-dependent gene expression, 17beta-estradiol (E(2)) can directly influence intracellular signaling. In primary cultured cerebellar neurons, E(2) was previously shown to regulate growth and oncotic cell death via rapid stimulation of ERK1/2 signaling. Here we show that ERK1/2 signaling in the cerebellum of neonatal and mature rats was rapidly responsive...

Exposure of humans to bisphenol A (BPA), a monomer in polycarbonate plastics and a constituent of resins used in food packaging and dentistry, is significant. In this report exposure of rats to 2.4 microg/kg.d (a dose that approximates BPA levels in the environment) from postnatal d 21-35 suppressed serum LH (0.21 +/- 0.05 ng/ml; vs. control, 0.52 +/- 0.04; P < 0.01) and testosterone (T) levels...

Environmental xenoestrogen contaminant bisphenol A (BPA), widely used as a monomer in the manufacture of epoxy, polycarbonate plastics and polystyrene resins. However, exposure to BPA has raised concerns, and the negative impacts of its exposure on reproduction have been controversial. The purpose of this work was directed to assess the potential adverse effects of BPA on dam rats and their fir...

A re you having little luck in the search for your soulmate? When you finally meet a woman does she seem disinterested? What could it be? Your breath? Your clothes? Findings from a new study (1) suggest it may be your mother’s dietary exposure to bisphenol A (BPA). In the study published in PNAS, Jašarevic′ et al. (1) find that maternal BPA exposure impairs spatial ability, decreases explorator...

BACKGROUND There are numerous examples of laboratory animals that were inadvertently exposed to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) during the process of conducting experiments. Controlling contaminations in the laboratory is challenging, especially when their source is unknown. Unfortunately, EDC contaminations can interfere with the interpretation of data during toxicological evaluations. W...

results the main pathological finding observed in the prostrate and seminal vesicle glands, using light microscope, revealed congestion in the connective tissue and vacuolization in the secretory units of epithelial cells and epithelium rupture at 50 and 100 µg/kg doses of bpa. ultrastructure study showed vacuolization of mitochondria, condensation of nuclei and disappearance of nucleus in the ...