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ABSTRACT This paper aims to gather and discuss important information about nonylphenol, such as physical chemistry properties, toxicity and analytical methods in various matrices. As a degradation product of ethoxylated alkylphenols, nonylphenol presents a higher degree of reactivity than its precursor. Due to its harmful effects on the environment, use and production of nonylphenol has been banned in European Union countries, alongside their precursors. The guide on quality of drinking water (USEPA) recommends a maximum concentration of 28 µg L-1 for fresh water. In Brazil, there is no clear legislation containing values of maximum concentration of nonylphenol. Due to this lack of regulation, a continuous monitoring is necessary of this pollutant in environmental samples. This paper aims to encourage further studies on nonylphenol, seen as a critical environmental pollutant. For proper monitoring is necessary to have reliable analytical methods and easy to perform in routine analysis.

4-t-Octylphenol (4-t-OP) has become a serious environmental concern due to the endocrine disruption in animals and humans. The biodegradation of 4-t-OP by pure cultures has been extensively investigated only in bacteria and wood-decaying fungi. In this study we isolated and identified 14 filamentous fungal strains from wastewater samples in Taiwan using 4-t-OP as a sole carbon and energy source. The isolates were identified based on sequences from different DNA regions. Of 14 fungal isolates, 10 strains grew effectively on solid medium with a wide variety of endocrine disrupting chemicals as the sole carbon and energy source. As revealed by high-performance liquid chromatography analysis, the most effective 4-t-OP degradation (>70%) in liquid medium was observed in Fusarium falciforme after 15days. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the degradation of 4-t-OP as a sole carbon and energy source by non-ligninolytic fungi., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Inhabitants of Guadeloupe are chronically exposed to low doses of chlordecone via local food due to its past use in banana plantations. The corresponding health impacts have not been quantified. We develop a quantitative method and present the results in two articles: 1. Hazard identification, exposure-response functions, and exposure, 2. Health impacts, and benefits of a program to reduce the exposure of the population. Here is the second article., Methods: The exposure-response functions derived in Part 1 (for liver and prostate cancer, renal dysfunction and cognitive development) are combined with the exposure data to calculate the impacts. The corresponding costs are calculated via DALY's and VOLY. A no-effect threshold is included via the marginal fraction of the collective exposure above the reference dose. The health benefits are the impacts in 2002 (before the exposure reduction program) minus the impacts in 2006 (since the program). They are compared to the costs, namely the public annual expenditures for reducing the population exposure., Results: Without threshold, estimated annual cases of liver cancer, prostate cancer and renal dysfunction are respectively 5.4, 2.8, 0.10 in 2002; and 2.0, 1.0, 0.04 in 2006. Annual IQ points lost (cognitive development) are respectively: 1 173 and 1 003. The annual cost of total impacts is 38.3 Million Euros (M€) in 2002 and 23.7 M€ in 2006. Comparing the benefit of 14.6 M€ with the 3.25 M€ spent for prevention, the program appears well justified. With threshold, the costs of the impacts are lower, respectively: 26.5 M€ in 2002 and 12.8 M€ in 2006, but the benefit is not very different: 13.7 M€., Conclusion: This is the first study that quantified chronic non genotoxic effects of chlordecone exposures in Guadeloupe. According to our results, preventive actions should be focused on pregnant women because of the high social cost of development impairment and also because their exposures decreased less rapidly than others. Prevention effort should be sustained as long as chlordecone remains in soils. Additional toxicological and epidemiological research would also be required for health endpoints that could not be taken into account (neurotoxicity of adults, autoimmune diseases and other developmental effects).

Background: Inhabitants of Guadeloupe are chronically exposed to low dose of chlordecone via local food. The corresponding health impacts have not been quantified. Nevertheless the public authority implemented an exposure reduction program in 2003. We develop methods for quantifying the health impacts of chlordecone and present the results in 2 articles: 1. hazard identification, exposure-response functions (ERF) and exposure in Guadeloupe, 2. Health impacts and benefits of exposure reduction. Here is the first article., Methods: Relevant data are extracted from publications searched in Medline and Toxline. Available knowledges on mode of action and key-event hazards of chlordecone are used to identify effects of chlordecone that could occur at low dose. Then a linear ERF is derived for each possible effect. From epidemiological data, ERF is the delta relative risk (RR-1) divided by the corresponding delta exposure. From animal studies, ERF is the benchmark response (10 %) divided by the best benchmark dose modeled with BMDS2.4.0. Our goal is to obtain central values for the ERF slopes, applicable to typical human populations, rather than lower or upper bounds in the most sensitive species or sex., Results: We derive ERFs for 3 possible effects at chronic low chlordecone dose: cancers, developmental impairment, and hepatotoxicity. Neurotoxicity in adults is also a possible effect at low dose but we lack quantitative data for the ERF derivation. A renal toxicity ERF is derived for comparison purpose. Two ERFs are based on epidemiological studies: prostate cancer in men aged >44y (0.0019 per μg/Lblood) and altered neurodevelopment in boys (-0.32 QIpoint per μg/Lcord-blood). Two are based on animal studies: liver cancer (2.69 per mg/kg/d), and renal dysfunction in women (0.0022 per mg/kg/d)., Conclusion: The methodological framework developed here yields ERFs for central risk estimates for non-genotoxic effects of chemicals; it is robust with regard to models used. This framework can be used generally to derive ERFs suitable for risk assessment and for cost-benefit analysis of public health decisions.

Atrazine (AZ) and glyphosate (GL) are herbicides that are widely applied to cereal crops in Egypt. The present study was designed to investigate the response of the snailBiomphalaria alexandrina(Mollusca: Gastropoda) as a bioindicator for endocrine disrupters in terms of steroid levels (testosterone (T) and 17β-estradiol (E)), alteration of microsomal CYP4501B1-like immunoreactivity, total protein (TP) level, and gonadal structure after exposure to sublethal concentrations of AZ or GL for 3 weeks. In order to study the ability of the snails' recuperation, the exposed snails were subjected to a recovery period for 2 weeks. The results showed that the level of T, E, and TP contents were significantly decreased (p ≤ 0.05) in both AZ- and GL-exposed groups compared with control (unexposed) group. The level of microsomal CYP4501B1-like immunoreactivity increased significantly (p ≤ 0.05) in GL- and AZ-exposed snails and reach nearly a 50% increase in AZ-exposed group. Histological investigation of the ovotestis showed that AZ and GL caused degenerative changes including azoospermia and oocytes deformation. Interestingly, all the recovered groups did not return back to their normal state. It can be concluded that both herbicides are endocrine disrupters and cause cellular toxicity indicated by the decrease of protein content and the increase in CYP4501B1-like immunoreactivity. This toxicity is irreversible and the snail is not able to recover its normal state. The fluctuation of CYP4501B1 suggests that this vertebrate-like enzyme may be functional also in the snail and may be used as a biomarker for insecticide toxicity., (© The Author(s) 2013.)

Hexachlorobenzene (HCB) is a persistent environmental fungicide that may disrupt androgen regulation. The aim of this study was to investigate associations between HCB levels and biomarkers of male reproductive function. 589 Spouses of pregnant women from Greenland, Poland and Ukraine were enrolled between 2002 and 2004. The men provided semen and blood samples and were interviewed. HCB was measured in serum by gas chromatography. The mean serum concentrations of HCB were higher in Ukraine (182.3ng/g lipid) and Greenland (79.0ng/g lipid) compared to Poland (14.2ng/g lipid). Sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) and free androgen index (FAI) were associated with HCB in men from Ukraine and Poland. This study spanning large differences in environmental HCB exposure levels shows a positive association for SHBG and negative association for FAI with high serum levels of HCB in fertile men, but without major consequences for semen quality and the Inuit study population., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

There has been a gradual increase in production and consumption of atrazine (ATR) in agriculture to meet the population rising demands. Female reproduction is necessary for growth and maintenance of population. However, ATR impact on females and particularly ovarian developmental toxicity is less clear. The aim of this study was to define the pathways by which ATR exerted toxic effects on ovarian development of ovary and hypothalamo-pituitary-ovarian (HPO) axis. Female quails were dosed by oral gavage from sexual immaturity to maturity with 0, 50, 250 and 500 mg ATR/kg/d for 45 days. ATR had no effect on mortality but depressed feed intake and growth and influenced the biochemical parameters. Notably, the arrested development of ovaries and oviducts were observed in ATR-exposed quails. The circulating concentrations of E2, P, LH and PRL were unregulated and FSH and T was downregulated in ATR-treated quails. The mRNA expression of GnRH in hypothalamo and LH in pituitary and FSH in ovary was downregulated significantly by ATR exposure and FSH and PRL in pituitary were upregulated. ATR exposure upregulated the level of P450scc, P450arom, 3β-HSD and 17β-HSD in ovary and downregulated ERβ expression in female quails. However, ATR did not change ERα expression in ovary. This study provides new insights regarding female productive toxicology of ATR exposure. Ovary and oviduct in sexually maturing females were target organs of ATR-induced developmental toxicity. We propose that ATR-induced developmental abnormality of ovary and oviduct is associated with disruption of gonadal hormone balance and HPO axis in female quails., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The propiconazole (Prop) is a fungicide extensively used in agriculture. There are evidences that this compound may cause endocrine disrupting effects. In vitro studies have demonstrated that Prop inhibits the activity of CYP 19 (aromatase), responsible for converting androgens into estrogens and also is an androgen and estrogen receptor antagonist. Therefore, this study evaluated the reproductive toxicity of Prop treatment in male rats. The Wistar rats were divided in three groups and were treated daily, by gavage, with corn oil (control group), propiconazole 4 mg/kg (Prop 4) and 20 mg/kg (Prop 20), from post-natal day 50 to 120. The following were observed: the body weight gain, sexual behavior, testosterone and estradiol plasmatic levels, organs weight, sperm count and morphology and testicular histomorphology. There was an increase in abnormal tail morphology sperm, seminal vesicle and vas deferens weight, and a decrease in estradiol levels in Prop 4 group. Sexual behavior was affected only in the Prop 20 group. These results suggest that Prop treatment induced alterations in some reproductive parameters, what could be related with an endocrine disruption., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Abstract Toxic pollution loading from both point and non-point sources in Lake Biwa should be further reduced. In order to tackle toxicity problems, it is necessary to analyse characteristics of toxic pollution. We have developed a new profiling technique to display toxic distributions of endocrine disrupters in complex mixtures of environmental samples, using high-performance liquid chromatography in combination with yeast bioassays. We have applied this technique to the major point and non-point pollution sources in the Lake Biwa basin, that is, to municipal sewage-treatment water (point) and road dust (non-point). The dominant oestrogenic chemical in sewage-treatment water was 17 β-estradiol. The extracts from screened road dust showed arylhydrocarbon-receptor binding activity (AhR–ligand activity), with much of this located in smaller particles of sifted dust. There were at least seven major AhR–ligand peaks in the road-dust sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Uterine adenogenesis, a unique post-natal event in mammals, is vulnerable to endocrine disruption by estrogens and progestins resulting in infertility or reduced prolificacy. The absence of uterine glands results in insufficient transport of nutrients into the uterine lumen to support conceptus development. Arginine, a component of histotroph, is substrate for production of nitric oxide, polyamines and agmatine and, with secreted phosphoprotein 1, it affects cytoskeletal organization of trophectoderm. Arginine is critical for development of the conceptus, pregnancy recognition signaling, implantation and placentation. Conceptuses of ungulates and cetaceans convert glucose to fructose which is metabolized via multiple pathways to support growth and development. However, high fructose corn syrup in soft drinks and foods may increase risks for metabolic disorders and increase insulin resistance in adults. Understanding endocrine disrupters and dietary substances, and novel pathways for nutrient metabolism during pregnancy can improve survival and growth, and prevent chronic metabolic diseases in offspring., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Representing a reflection of anthropic activity, the level of xenobiotic compounds in aquatic ecosystems has increased in recent years, bringing severe damage to the environment. The present work reports the occurrence of malformation in gonads of Physalaemus cuvieri individuals from a population of Atlantic Forest in Southern Brazil. Twenty male specimens were collected, which had their testicles removed, immersed in Karnovsky fixative solution, included in historesin for 2 μm cuts and stained with Hematoxylin-eosin. Four specimens showed intersexual gonads condition along with the presence of sperm and oocytes. In order to test a possible contamination of water, 2L were collected from the water body to check organochlorine, organophosphate and carbamate compounds. The analysis of water showed the presence of agrotoxic Dieldrin in a concentration of 0.05 μg/L, representing a concentration above the recommended reference. This agrotoxic, in addition to acting as endocrine disrupter and commercially prohibited, has quite persistent residual effects, and may be responsible for the high frequency of P. cuvieri with intersexual gonads, which in the long term can represent a risk for this population due to the potential impact on its effective reproductive ability., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Leydig cell steroidogenesis is mainly regulated by LH via increased cAMP production leading to STAR protein activation. STAR is essential for cholesterol shuttling inside mitochondria where steroidogenesis is initiated. Accumulating evidence suggest that persistent organochlorine compounds disrupt testicular function, but the mechanism of action remains poorly characterized. Here we report that in vitro exposure of MA-10 and MLTC-1 Leydig cells to an environmentally relevant mixture of 15 organochlorines impairs steroidogenesis. While having no effect on cell viability and basal steroid production, the organochlorine mixture caused a 50% decrease in cAMP-induced progesterone production. The mixture also reduced cAMP-induced 30 kDa STAR protein by 50% while having no effect on basal STAR protein. Basal or cAMP-induced Star mRNA levels and promoter activity were unaffected by the mixture, indicating that the organochlorine mixture acted at the translational/posttranslational level. Further supporting this is the fact that in COS-7 cells overexpressing STAR, the organochlorine mixture caused a decrease in the 30 kDa form of STAR and an accumulation of the 37 kDa forms. In addition to STAR, we found that the organochlorine mixture also decreases the levels of CYP11A1 and ADXR, two proteins essential for the conversion of cholesterol into pregnenolone. In conclusion, our data show that organochlorine exposure disrupts Leydig cell function by targeting different components of the steroidogenic pathway., (© 2014 by the Society for the Study of Reproduction, Inc.)

Objective: This study was designed to evaluate the toxic effects of Atrazine (ATZ) on the reproductive system of male rats., Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to ATZ by gavage at dosages of 0, 38.5, 77, and 154 mg/kg bw/day for 30 d. The toxic effects of ATZ to rats were assessed through histopathologcal observation, spermatozoa quality evaluation, testicular marker enzyme indicators, antioxidant capacity and reproductive hormone levels., Results: Significant adverse effects on reproductive system were observed in rats exposed to ATZ at different dosages compared with 0 mg/kg group, including an irregular and disordered arrangement of the seminiferous epithelium in 154 mg/kg group; a decreased spermatozoa number and an increased spermatozoa abnormality rate in 77 and 154 mg/kg groups; decreased levels of acid phosphatase (ACP), alkaline phosphatase (AKP), lactic dehydrogenase (LDH), and succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) with the increasing of ATZ concentration; a decreased level of total antioxidant capacity (TAC) in a dose-dependent manner, and a decreased reduced glutathione (GSH) level and an increased malondialdehyde (MDA) content in 154 mg/kg group; and decreased serum levels of testosterone (T) and inhibin-B (INH-B) and an increased serum level of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) in 77 and 154 mg/kg groups, and an increased serum level of luteinizing hormone (LH) in 154 mg/kg group., Conclusion: These results suggested that relatively high doses of ATZ could exert reproductive toxicity of male rats., (Copyright © 2014 The Editorial Board of Biomedical and Environmental Sciences. Published by China CDC. All rights reserved.)

Cadmium, an environmental pollutant, may act like an estrogen and be a potential risk factor for estrogen-dependent diseases such as breast cancer. We examined the hypothesis that higher dietary cadmium intake is associated with risk of overall and hormone receptor-defined breast cancer in Japanese women, a population with a relatively high cadmium intake. The study was conducted under a case-control design in 405 eligible matched pairs from May 2001 to September 2005 at four hospitals in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. Dietary cadmium intake was estimated using a food frequency questionnaire. Multivariable-adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of breast cancer and its hormone-receptor-defined subtypes were calculated by tertile of dietary cadmium intake. We found no significant association between dietary cadmium and risk of total breast cancer in either crude or multivariable-adjusted analysis. Adjusted ORs for tertiles of cadmium intake were 1.00, 1.19, and 1.23 (95% CI, 0.76-2.00; P for trend=0.39) for whole breast cancer. Further, no significant associations were seen across strata of menopausal status, smoking, and diabetes in multivariable-adjusted models except for adjusted OR for continuous cadmium intake in postmenopausal women. A statistically significant association was found for estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) tumors among postmenopausal women (adjusted OR=1.00, 1.16, and 1.94 [95% CI, 1.04-3.63; P for trend=0.032]). Although the present study found no overall association between dietary cadmium intake and breast cancer risk, higher cadmium intake was associated with increased risk of ER+ breast cancer in postmenopausal women, at least at regular intake levels in Japanese women in the general population. Further studies are needed to confirm this association., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)

I should like to thank the editor of the Endangered Species UPDATE for the opportunity to comment on the article 'Endocrine Disruption: Hidden Threats to Wildlife' by Michael Smolen and Theo Colborn of the World Wildlife Fund in the September/October 1997 issue. The conclusion of this article is that a very wide range of wildlife species is now threatened by a diverse assortment of synthetic chemicals in the environment. Their effects are initially hidden but in the longer termreproductive abnormalities and disruptions in other essential life processes result from the 'stealth damage caused by interference with endogenous messengers' (Smolen and Colborn 1997:10). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diethyl phthalate (DEP) works as a phthalate plasticizer and is ubiquitously used in personal care products, cosmetics, medical equipment and pharmaceutical coating. DEP is considered a potential endocrine disruptor. Previously we found DEP-enhanced apoptosis induced by serum deprivation in PC12 cells. However, the relationship between DEP and longevity-related factors, sirtuins and epigenetic factors (e.g. DNA methyltransferases) remains unclear, because genome modification caused by chemical toxicity, sirtuins and epigenetic factors have played key roles in abnormal metabolism and development. Here, we investigate whether DEP affects sirtuins (SIRT1 and SIRT2) and methyltranferases (DNMT1 and DNMT3a) on the apoptosis of PC12 cells. We found that DNMT3a was significantly decreased by serum deprivation. However, DNMT3a, DNMT3b and SIRT1 were significantly increased under the enhancement of apoptosis induced by serum deprivation. These results suggest that SIRT1, DNMT3a and DNMT3b play multiple and complex roles in different apoptotic stages. Our results showed DEP triggered epigenetic factors on PC12 cells apoptosis under nutrition stress. Finally, our results suggest that monitoring epigenetic factors such as DNMT3a, DNMT3b and SIRT1 could be a useful tool for chemical toxicity risk assessment., (Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Obesity and metabolic syndrome diseases have exploded into a global epidemic. Consumption of calorie-dense food and diminished physical activity are the generally accepted causes for obesity. But, could environmental factors expose preexisting genetic differences or exacerbate the root causes of diet and exercise? The environmental obesogen model proposes that chemical exposure during critical developmental stages influences subsequent adipogenesis, lipid balance and obesity. Obesogens are chemicals that stimulate adipogenesis and fat storage or alter the control of metabolism, appetite and satiety to promote weight gain. Tributyltin (TBT) is a high-affinity agonistic ligand for the retinoid X receptor (RXR) and peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma (PPARγ). RXR-PPARγ signaling is a key component in adipogenesis and the function of adipocytes; activation of this heterodimer increases adipose mass in rodents and humans. Thus, inappropriate activation of RXR-PPARγ can directly alter adipose tissue homeostasis. TBT exposure promoted adipocyte differentiation, modulated adipogenic genes and increased adiposity in mice after in utero exposure. These results suggest that organotin exposure is a previously unappreciated risk factor for the development of obesity and related disorders. Based on the observed effects of TBT on adipogenesis, we hypothesized that organotin exposure during prenatal adipose tissue development would create an environment that led to more adipocytes. We observed that the multipotent stromal cell compartment was altered by prenatal TBT exposure leading to an increased number of preadipocytes. This increase in the number of preadipocytes could correspondingly increase the steady state number of adipocytes in the adult, which could favor the development of obesity over time.

To examine the detoxification effect of mineral-encaged zeolites on cells impaired by pollutant-intoxication, we used a bioassay system involving Euglena gracilis Z as the model organism and TBTCl as a pollutant. TBTCl exposure causes Euglena cells to quickly change shape from a spherical to spindle form, with the process being reversible by detoxification. Taking advantage of this morphological characteristic, we examined the restoration of motility by water containing zeolites encaging different minerals. TBTCl-intoxicated Euglena cells were incubated in processed water with different types of mineral-encaging zeolites for up to 3 hours. The restoration of motility was evaluated by observing the number of motile cells with a video microscope. Remarkable recovery was observed in the incubation systems with water containing Fe-, Zn-, and Mn-encaging zeolites. However, the effect was suppressed when the water species were treated with the chelator, Chelex-100(®). An equivalent concentration of FeCl3 to that in the Fe-encaging zeolite processed water did not show significant restoration effect.