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Lifestyle and Environment · Environmental Exposures

Endocrine disrupting chemicals and male fertility: from physiological to molecular effects

Lahimer M, Abou Diwan M, Montjean D, Cabry R, Bach V, Ajina M, Ben Ali H, Benkhalifa M, Khorsi-Cauet H

Published October 27, 2023 Frontiers in Public Health, 11, 1232646
DOI 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1232646 PMID 37886048 PMC PMC10598475

RRM Academy Synopsis

Endocrine disrupting chemicals may impair sperm and male fertility

A 2023 review of animal, laboratory and human studies reports that endocrine disrupting chemicals may harm male fertility by changing hormones and sperm quality. Human results conflict. Among 671 men in a pesticide-exposed part of France, the exposed men had more sperm DNA fragmentation.

Key Findings

  • Animal and laboratory studies in the review describe endocrine disrupting chemicals altering hypothalamic–pituitary signaling, lowering testosterone production in Leydig cells, and potentially disrupting spermatogenesis.
  • A meta-analysis of 64 papers reported a negative association between pesticide exposure and sperm characteristics.
  • In the authors' study of 671 men in Picardy, a region highly exposed to pesticides, the DNA fragmentation index was significantly higher in the exposed group than in the non-exposed group.
  • A prospective study of 443 couples in China linked higher triclosan levels in male urine to reduced fecundity (OR 0.77; 95% CI, 0.62–0.97) and higher infertility risk (OR 1.6; 95% CI, 1–2.6).
  • Danish greenhouse workers showed no significant differences in sperm viability, velocity or sex hormones by pesticide exposure; 234 Swedish young men showed no significant association of two phthalate monoesters with semen quality.

Interpretation

The article is a review that summarizes animal, laboratory and human studies. Much of the evidence on how the chemicals act comes from animal and laboratory experiments. The authors note that human research is often limited to observational studies, which may not show causation definitively. They say mixed human results can reflect differences in study design, exposure levels, and genetic and environmental factors. The authors add that missing effects on semen measures do not rule out effects on male fertility.

RRM Context

Restorative reproductive medicine evaluates both partners. It looks for the cause of infertility first. The review names varicocele, lifestyle and pesticide exposure at work or in the environment as causal factors of sperm DNA fragmentation. Male causes belong in a couple's evaluation. The authors suggest checking a patient's lifetime chemical exposures.

Our editorial summary of this paper, not the article's abstract.

Abstract

The deleterious effects of chemical or non-chemical endocrine disruptors (EDs) on male fertility potential is well documented but still not fully elucidated. For example, the detection of industrial chemicals' metabolites in seminal plasma and follicular fluid can affect efficiency of the gametogenesis, the maturation and competency of gametes and has guided scientists to hypothesize that endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) may disrupt hormonal homoeostasis by leading to a wide range of hormonal control impairments. The effects of EDCs exposure on reproductive health are highly dependent on factors including the type of EDCs, the duration of exposure, individual susceptibility, and the presence of other co-factors. Research and scientists continue to study these complex interactions. The aim of this review is to summarize the literature to better understand the potential reproductive health risks of EDCs in France.

Topics

By this author

Related research

Lifestyle and Environment › Environmental Exposures › Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals · Male Fertility › Male Endocrine and Genetic Factors › Male Hormonal Axis
Marwa Lahimer, Maria Abou Diwan, Debbie Montjean, Rosalie Cabry, Véronique Bach, Mounir Ajina, Habib Ben Ali, Moncef Benkhalifa, Hafida Khorsi-Cauet
M Lahimer, M Diwan, Deborah Montjean, D Montjean, R Cabry, V Bach, M Ajina, H Ali, M Benkhalifa, H Khorsi-Cauet
PMID 37886048 37886048 DOI 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1232646 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1232646 Lahimer et al. 2023, Lahimer 2023

Keywords

Endocrine Disruptors

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