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Dermitzakis I, Theotokis P, Axarloglou E, Delilampou E, Manthou ME, Meditskou S. Effects of hazardous chemicals on secondary sex ratio: A comprehensive review. CHEMOSPHERE 2024; 361:142467. [PMID: 38810798 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.142467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2024] [Revised: 04/15/2024] [Accepted: 05/26/2024] [Indexed: 05/31/2024]
Abstract
The secondary sex ratio (SSR), defined as the ratio of male to female offspring at birth, has garnered significant scientific interest due to its potential impact on population dynamics and evolution. In recent years, there has been a growing concern regarding the potential consequences of environmental chemicals on the SSR, given their widespread exposure and potential enduring ramifications on the reproductive system. While SSR serves as an indicator of health, ongoing research and scientific inquiry are being conducted to explore the potential relationship between chemicals and offspring ratio. Although some studies have suggested a possible correlation, others have yielded inconclusive results, indicating that the topic is intricate and still needs to be elucidated. The precise mechanism by which chemical agents exert their influence on the SSR remains ambiguous, with disruption of the endocrine system being a prominent justification. In light of the complex interplay between chemical exposure and SSR, the present review aims to comprehensively examine and synthesize existing scientific literature to gain a deeper understanding of how specific chemical exposures may impact SSR. Insights into chemical hazards that shift SSR patterns or trends could guide prevention strategies, including legislative bans of certain chemicals, to minimize environmental and public health risks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iasonas Dermitzakis
- Department of Histology-Embryology, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Paschalis Theotokis
- Department of Histology-Embryology, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Evangelos Axarloglou
- Department of Histology-Embryology, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Efthymia Delilampou
- Department of Histology-Embryology, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Maria Eleni Manthou
- Department of Histology-Embryology, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Soultana Meditskou
- Department of Histology-Embryology, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124, Thessaloniki, Greece.
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Naidu SJ, Arangasamy A, Selvaraju S, Binsila BK, Reddy IJ, Ravindra JP, Bhatta R. Maternal influence on the skewing of offspring sex ratio: a review. ANIMAL PRODUCTION SCIENCE 2022. [DOI: 10.1071/an21086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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McDonald E, Watterson A, Tyler AN, McArthur J, Scott EM. Multi-factorial influences on sex ratio: a spatio-temporal investigation of endocrine disruptor pollution and neighborhood stress. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OCCUPATIONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH 2014; 20:235-46. [PMID: 25000111 PMCID: PMC4070448 DOI: 10.1179/2049396714y.0000000073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Background: It is suggested the declining male birth proportion in some industrialized countries is linked to ubiquitous endocrine disruptor exposure. Stress and advanced parental age are determinants which frequently present positive findings. Multi-factorial influences on population sex ratio are rarely explored or tested in research. Objectives: To test the hypothesis that dual factors of pollution and population stress affects sex proportion at birth through geographical analysis of Central Scotland. Methods: The study incorporates the use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) tools to overlay modeled point source endocrine disruptor air emissions with “small-area” data on multiple deprivation (a proxy measurement of stress) and birth sex. Historical review of regional sex ratio trends presents additional data on sex ratio in Scotland to consider. Results: There was no overall concentration in Central Scotland of low sex ratio neighborhoods with areas where endocrine disruptor air pollution and deprivation or economic stress were high. Historical regional trends in Scotland (from 1973), however, do show significantly lower sex ratio values for populations where industrial air pollution is highest (i.e. Eastern Central Scotland). Conclusions: Use of small area data sets and pollution inventories is a potential new method of inquiry for reproductive environmental and health protection monitoring and has produced interesting findings.
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Evolution and the variation of mammalian sex ratios at birth: Reflections on Trivers and Willard (1973). J Theor Biol 2013; 334:141-8. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2013.06.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2013] [Revised: 06/12/2013] [Accepted: 06/20/2013] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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James WH. The relevance of the epidemiology of human sex ratios at birth to some medical problems. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol 2012; 26:181-9. [PMID: 22471677 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-3016.2012.01267.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The human sex ratio (proportion male at birth) shows considerable variation which is central to reproductive epidemiology. For example, it has reportedly shown significant secular trends and wartime variation, and it has shown replicated variation with parental exposure to several deleterious chemicals. However, scientific progress in identifying the causes of these forms of variation has been very slow and, as described here, this has elicited some scepticism. Benefits may be expected from identifying these causes. Two (non-competing) hypotheses have emerged, the first relating to the hormonal regulation of sex ratio at conception, and the second to the sex-selective effects of stressors during pregnancy. It is shown here that if the first of these hypotheses was substantially correct, it would illuminate a number of scientific and medical problems, for example, the causes of autism and of selected sex-related congenital malformations and obstetric pathologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- William H James
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, UK.
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Rocheleau CM, Bertke SJ, Deddens JA, Ruder AM, Lawson CC, Waters MA, Hopf NB, Riggs MA, Whelan EA. Maternal exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls and the secondary sex ratio: an occupational cohort study. Environ Health 2011; 10:20. [PMID: 21418576 PMCID: PMC3070618 DOI: 10.1186/1476-069x-10-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2010] [Accepted: 03/18/2011] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Though commercial production of polychlorinated biphenyls was banned in the United States in 1977, exposure continues due to their environmental persistence. Several studies have examined the association between environmental polychlorinated biphenyl exposure and modulations of the secondary sex ratio, with conflicting results. OBJECTIVE Our objective was to evaluate the association between maternal preconceptional occupational polychlorinated biphenyl exposure and the secondary sex ratio. METHODS We examined primipara singleton births of 2595 women, who worked in three capacitor plants at least one year during the period polychlorinated biphenyls were used. Cumulative estimated maternal occupational polychlorinated biphenyl exposure at the time of the infant's conception was calculated from plant-specific job-exposure matrices. A logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the association between maternal polychlorinated biphenyl exposure and male sex at birth (yes/no). RESULTS Maternal body mass index at age 20, smoking status, and race did not vary between those occupationally exposed and those unexposed before the child's conception. Polychlorinated biphenyl-exposed mothers were, however, more likely to have used oral contraceptives and to have been older at the birth of their first child than non-occupationally exposed women. Among 1506 infants liveborn to polychlorinated biphenyl-exposed primiparous women, 49.8% were male; compared to 49.9% among those not exposed (n = 1089). Multivariate analyses controlling for mother's age and year of birth found no significant association between the odds of a male birth and mother's cumulative estimated polychlorinated biphenyl exposure to time of conception. CONCLUSIONS Based on these data, we find no evidence of altered sex ratio among children born to primiparous polychlorinated biphenyl-exposed female workers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carissa M Rocheleau
- Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations and Field Studies; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Stephen J Bertke
- Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations and Field Studies; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
- Department of Mathematical Science, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - James A Deddens
- Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations and Field Studies; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
- Department of Mathematical Science, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Avima M Ruder
- Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations and Field Studies; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Christina C Lawson
- Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations and Field Studies; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Martha A Waters
- Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations and Field Studies; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
- Division of Applied Research and Technology; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Nancy B Hopf
- Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations and Field Studies; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
- Institut universitaire romand de Santé au Travail/Institute for Work and Health (IST), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Margaret A Riggs
- Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations and Field Studies; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
- Coordinating Office for Terrorism, Preparedness and Emergency Response (Kentucky Department for Public Health); Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Frankfort, Kentucky, USA
| | - Elizabeth A Whelan
- Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations and Field Studies; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
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Abstract
PURPOSE In the last century the world has experienced an increase in the use of industrial chemicals as well as possible increases in the prevalence of hypospadias and cryptorchidism. Because hormones regulate the fetal development of many organs, numerous investigations have explored the role of environmental factors in genitourinary growth. We summarize the data regarding endocrine disruptors in human genitourinary development. MATERIALS AND METHODS A PubMed literature search was performed for human studies from 2004 to 2009. RESULTS Few data exist on environmental influences on the kidneys, ureters or bladder. Studies on the influence of pesticides, vegetarian diets, diethylstilbestrol, oral contraceptives and corticosteroids on hypospadias have yielded varied conclusions. Phthalates appear to increase the odds of hypospadias and anogenital distance. The testicular dysgenesis syndrome postulates that cryptorchidism, hypospadias, poor semen quality and testicular cancer share a common environmental origin. In utero exposure to diethylstilbestrol has been shown to increase the risk of testicular dysgenesis syndrome. However, to our knowledge no other environmental factor has been shown to cause testicular dysgenesis syndrome. Some industrial chemicals as well as the pesticide dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane have detrimental effects on semen quality. In cases of documented industrial accidents, chemical exposure has also decreased the male-to-female birth ratio. CONCLUSIONS Data on chemical exposure are largely mixed and inconclusive. Studies of populations with high exposure rates due to industrial accidents or in utero exposure to diethylstilbestrol suggest that endocrine disruptors adversely affect genitourinary development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenny H Yiee
- Department of Urology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
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Kim DJ, Seok SH, Baek MW, Lee HY, Na YR, Park SH, Lee HK, Dutta NK, Kawakami K, Park JH. Benomyl induction of brain aromatase and toxic effects in the zebrafish embryo. J Appl Toxicol 2009; 29:289-94. [PMID: 19058295 DOI: 10.1002/jat.1405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Benomyl is a benzimidazole fungicide that has been widely used on a variety of food crops and ornamental plants. It is known to cause adverse effects on reproductive systems, including decreased testicular and epididymal weights and reduced epididymal sperm counts and fertility. The brain aromatase gene is up-regulated by estrogens and estrogen mimics and considered a target gene to screen estrogen mimics. This study was designed to test the estrogenic potential and toxic effects of benomyl in the zebrafish system, and validated this system as a model that may correspond to the effect of benomyl in rodents. Concentrations of 20 x 10(-6), 40 x 10(-6) and 80 x 10(-6) M of benomyl-treated embryos showed decreased survival, hatching and heart rates, and increased incidence of malformations, such as pericardial edema, spinal lordosis, elongated heart, head edema, eye lens protrusion and caudal fin disappearance. Benomyl induced enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) expression in the mediobasal hypothalamus (MBH) in transient zebrafish embryos with a brain aromatase-based reporter gene. In this study, we determined that benomyl has estrogenic potential based on zebrafish brain aromatase gene induction, and that benomyl is toxic at 20 x 10(-6) M concentration and higher. These results demonstrate the usefulness of zebrafish embryos as an in vivo system to examine the estrogenic and developmental toxic potential of unknown compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dong-Jae Kim
- Department of Laboratory Animal Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine and BK2 Program for Veterinary Science, Seoul National University, San 56-1, Shinlim-dong, Kwanak-ku, Seoul 151-742, Korea
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Current awareness: Pharmacoepidemiology and drug safety. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf 2008. [DOI: 10.1002/pds.1485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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Kaludjerovic J, Ward WE. Diethylstilbesterol has gender-specific effects on weight gain and bone development in mice. JOURNAL OF TOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH. PART A 2008; 71:1032-1042. [PMID: 18569612 DOI: 10.1080/15287390801988947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Neonatal exposure to diethylstilbesterol (DES) in female mice programs estrogen-sensitive tissues, resulting in greater body weight gain and positive effects on bone architecture at adulthood. Using the CD-1 mouse model, the objective of the present study was to examine how short-term neonatal exposure to DES modulates weight gain as well as bone mineral density (BMD), bone strength, and bone microarchitecture in both males and females at adulthood. Male and female offspring (n = 8-12 pups/treatment/gender) were randomized to DES (2 mg/kg bw/d) or control (corn oil) from postnatal day 1 to 5 (subcutaneous injection, once daily) and sacrificed at 4 mo of age. Body weight was measured weekly, while bone mineral, strength, and microarchitecture were measured at 4 mo of age. DES treatment resulted in significantly higher body weight in females but lower weight in males at 4 mo of age. In DES-treated females, markedly higher BMD of lumbar vertebrae (LV1-LV3) was translated into significantly stronger LV2 that was more resistant to fracture; similar effects were observed at the femur midpoint. At the spine, males had a markedly lower BMD and peak load, suggesting an adverse effect. Microstructural analyses demonstrated that functional changes in femurs, i.e., peak load, were primarily due to modulation of cortical bone. In conclusion, neonatal exposure to DES exerted gender-specific effects on body weight gain and bone health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jovana Kaludjerovic
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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