title: Impacts of environmental toxicants on male reproductive dysfunction.
abstract: Male infertility caused by exposure to environmental toxicants such as cadmium, mercury, bisphenol A (BPA) and dioxin is a global problem, particularly in industrialized countries. Studies in the testis and other organs have illustrated the importance of environmental toxicant-induced oxidative stress in mediating disruption to cell junctions. This, in turn, is regulated by the activation of PI3K/c-Src/FAK and MAPK signaling pathways, with the involvement of polarity proteins. This leads to reproductive dysfunction such as reduced sperm count and reduced quality of semen. In this review, we discuss how these findings can improve understanding of the modes of action of environmental toxicants in testicular dysfunction. Thus, specific inhibitors and/or antagonists against signaling molecules in these pathways may be able to 'reverse' and/or 'block' the disruptive effects of toxicant-induced damage. Additional studies comparing high-level acute exposure versus low-level chronic exposure to environmental toxicants are also needed to fully elucidate the underlying molecular mechanism(s) by which these toxicants disrupt male reproductive function.
authors.affiliation: Center for Biomedical Research, Population Council, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA.
authors.forename: Elissa W P
authors.initials: EW
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: C Yan
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Cheng
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*; D006801:Humans; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000139:chemically induced*; D007365:Intercellular Junctions / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D009845:Oligospermia / Q000139:chemically induced; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects; D013737:Testis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants