title: Familiar and novel reproductive endocrine disruptors: xenoestrogens, dioxins and nanoparticles.
abstract: Environmental contaminants are known to exert endocrine-disrupting effects on the reproductive axis of animals. Many of these molecules can affect steroid biosynthesis or estrogen-receptor signaling by behaving as estrogen-like molecules ("xenoestrogens"), or by exerting estrogenmodulatory effects. Exposure to some compounds has been correlated with the skewing of sex ratios in aquatic species, feminization and demasculinization of male animals, declines in human sperm counts, and overall diminution in fertility of birds, fish, and mammals. We herein devote space to several classes of endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs), including estrogenic substances such as bisphenol A (BPA), molecules that can behave at times anti-estrogenically while activating the aromatic hydrocarbon receptor (AHR), such as dioxins (a known human carcinogen), and novel, ubiquitous molecules such as nanoparticles, particularly gold nanoparticles (GNPs), that appear to alter the sexsteroid biosynthetic pathway.
authors: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM), Milwaukee, WI, USA ; School of Freshwater Sciences, UWM, Milwaukee, WI, USA ; Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Physiology, and Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA ; Wisconsin National Primate Research Center (WNPRC), University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA.
authors: R J
authors: RJ
authors: Hutz
authors: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM), Milwaukee, WI, USA ; School of Freshwater Sciences, UWM, Milwaukee, WI, USA.
authors: M J
authors: MJ
authors: Carvan
authors: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM), Milwaukee, WI, USA.
authors: J K
authors: JK
authors: Larson
authors: Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
authors: Q
authors: Q
authors: Liu
authors: Biological Sciences Program, Bryant and Stratton College, Milwaukee, WI, USA.
authors: R V
authors: RV
authors: Stelzer
authors: Department of Biology, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, La Crosse, WI, USA.
authors: T C
authors: TC
authors: King-Heiden
authors: Department of Health and Medicine, Carroll University, Waukesha, WI, USA.
authors: M G
authors: MG
authors: Baldridge
authors: Department of Natural Sciences, Milwaukee Area Technical College, Milwaukee, WI, USA ; Neuromuscular Laboratory, Department of Neurology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA.
authors: N
authors: N
authors: Shahnoor
authors: Department of Internal Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA.
authors: K
authors: K
authors: Julien
keywords: dioxin; endocrine disruptor; fertility; nanoparticle; ovary; xenoestrogen