Chronic iron overload disrupts the reproductive tract and leads to infertility: from a clinical case report to the experimental study of reproduction in female mice.

Iron overload is associated with reproductive abnormalities. For example, a case study showed that despite the iron status normalization following phlebotomies and chelation therapy, a woman with juvenile hemochromatosis (JH) continued to exhibit persistent atrophic ovaries, accompanied by prolonged amenorrhea by clinical evaluations. However, the iron overload consequences in the female hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis are incompletely understood.

A Refined Carbohydrate-Rich Diet Reduces Vascular Reactivity Through Endothelial Oxidative Stress and Increased Nitric Oxide: The Involvement of Inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase.

Background/objectives: The consumption of refined carbohydrates has increased globally. It is associated with inflammation and oxidative stress, both recognized as risk factors for cardiovascular disease. This study investigated the effects of a refined carbohydrate-rich diet on the vascular reactivity of rat aorta.

Maternal exposure to tributyltin alters female reproductive system development.

Abstract: Tributyltin (TBT) is a toxic compound used in antifouling paints and known for its endocrine-disrupting properties, including female reproductive dysfunction. We hypothesized that TBT exposure during gestation and lactation induces long-term reproductive alterations in female offspring. Pregnant Wistar rats were orally exposed from gestational day 7 to the end of lactation to 0.

Acute exposure to iron (II) impairs the vascular endothelial structure and function.

Although chronic iron overload is associated with vasculopathy, the direct effect of excessive iron on the vasculature during acute poisonings remains unknown. Thus, we tested whether ex vivo exposure of rat arteries to high concentrations of ferrous iron (Fe) impairs endothelial structure and function, and explored the involvement of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in these effects. Aortic segments from rats were used to assess vascular reactivity, ROS production and endothelial structure after 30-min incubation with FeSO.

Intergenerational and transgenerational effects of endocrine-disrupting chemicals in the offspring brain development and behavior.

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are a group of substances that can alter normal body functioning by disrupting the various patterns of hormone secretion and action. Some of these substances are used as plasticizers (e.g.

Fenofibrate treatment during lactation prevents liver and adipose tissue associated metabolic dysfunction in a rat model of childhood obesity.

Childhood obesity and associated comorbidities in adulthood are of great concern worldwide. Evidence highlights the importance of lactation in later disease development. In this sense, obese children are at great risk of developing adult obesity, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease at adulthood.

Copper exposure at a daily dose twice the recommended in diabetic rats induces oxidative stress, vascular dysfunction and perivascular adipose tissue inflammation in diabetic rats.

Individuals with diabetes often have a heightened risk of cardiovascular diseases and present copper (Cu) metabolism imbalances. We investigated the effect of chronic exposure to twice the recommended daily dose of CuCl on vascular reactivity in isolated thoracic aorta segments of diabetic and non-diabetic rats. Eighty male Wistar rats, aged 12 weeks, were divided into four groups: Control (Ct), Copper (Cu), Diabetes Mellitus (DM), and Diabetes + Copper (DM+Cu).

The environmental contaminants, tributyltin and bisphenol S, alone or in combination, harm the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal axis and uterus.

Endocrine disrupting-chemicals (EDCs) are chemical compounds found in the environment that can have adverse impacts on human health. Among these agents are tributyltin (TBT) and bisphenol S (BPS). TBT is used in anti-fouling paints, and its indiscriminate use has health repercussions.

The hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid axis is disrupted by exposure to a mix of tributyltin and bisphenol S.

Tributyltin is a biocide and bisphenol S is a plasticizer. The effects of the TBT + BPS mix on thyroid axis function are unknown. This study evaluated the effects of subacute exposure to TBT and BPS, both in mix and alone, in female young Wistar rats.

Pyriproxyfen, villain or good guy? A brief review.

Pyriproxyfen (PPF) acts as a juvenile growth regulator, interfering with normal metamorphosis and blocking the development of insects into adulthood. Although the World Health Organization (WHO) considers the use of PPF at a concentration of 0.01 mg/L as unlikely to pose health risks, recent studies have unveiled potential risks associated with PPF exposure to non-target organisms.

Effects of tributyltin on placental and reproductive abnormalities in offspring.

Tributyltin (TBT) is an organotin compound and a common persistent environmental pollutant with endocrine-disrupting chemical (EDC) actions. It can accumulate in the environment at various concentrations throughout the food chain in the ecosystem, posing a risk to human health, especially during critical periods such as gestation and fetal and offspring development. In this review, we report the results of studies describing the consequences of TBT exposure on placental and reproductive parameters in offspring of both sexes.

Endocrine Disruptors Chemicals: Impacts of Bisphenol A, Tributyltin and Lead on Thyroid Function.

The large-scale industrial production characteristic of the last century led to an increase in man-made compounds and mobilization of natural compounds, many of which can accumulate in the environment and organisms due to their bioaccumulation and biomagnification properties. The endocrine system is especially vulnerable to these compounds that are known as endocrine disruptor chemicals (EDCs). Thyroid hormones (THs) are essential for normal development and growth, besides being the main regulators of basal metabolic rate.

Endocrine-disrupting chemical, methylparaben, in environmentally relevant exposure promotes hazardous effects on the hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid axis.

Methylparaben (MP) belongs to the paraben class and is widely used as a preservative in personal care products, medicines, and some foods. MP acts as an endocrine disrupting chemical (EDC) on the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis. However, the effects of MP have not yet been completely elucidated, as published results are scarce and controversial.

Subacute exposure to a mixture of tributyltin plus mercury impairs reproductive axis function, exacerbating premature ovarian insufficiency features and reducing fertility in female rats.

Tributyltin (TBT) and mercury (Hg) are endocrine-disrupting chemicals that individually cause reproductive complications. However, the reproductive consequences of exposure to a mixture of TBT plus Hg are not well known. We hypothesized that exposure to a mixture of TBT plus Hg would alter hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis function.

Subacute tributyltin exposure alters the development and morphology of mammary glands in association with CYP19A1 expression in female rats.

Tributyltin (TBT) is an endocrine-disrupting chemical (EDC) related to reproductive dysfunctions. However, few studies have investigated the effects of TBT exposure on mammary gland development. Thus, we assessed whether subacute TBT exposure causes irregularities in mammary gland development.

Subacute cadmium exposure changes different metabolic functions, leading to type 1 and 2 diabetes mellitus features in female rats.

Cadmium (Cd) is a heavy metal that acts as endocrine disrupting chemical (EDC). Few studies have investigated the effects of Cd exposure on metabolic dysfunctions, such as type 1 and 2 diabetes mellitus (T1DM and T2DM). Thus, we assessed whether subacute Cd exposure at occupational levels causes abnormalities in white adipose tissue (WAT), liver, pancreas, and skeletal muscle.

Single microcystin exposure impairs the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis at different levels in female rats.

Microcystin (MC) is most common cyanobacterial toxin. Few studies have evaluated the MC effects on the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis and metabolic function. In this study, we assessed whether MC exposure results in HPG axis and metabolic changes.

Role for Nongenomic Estrogen Signaling in Male Fertility.

Estrogen actions are mediated by both nuclear (n) and membrane (m) localized estrogen receptor 1 (ESR1). Male Esr1 knockout (Esr1KO) mice lacking functional Esr1 are infertile, with reproductive tract abnormalities. Male mice expressing nESR1 but lacking mESR1 (nuclear-only estrogen receptor 1 mice) are progressively infertile due to testicular, rete testis, and efferent ductule abnormalities similar to Esr1KO males, indicating a role for mESR1 in male reproduction.

Environmental Endocrinology: Parabens Hazardous Effects on Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Thyroid Axis.

Parabens are classified as endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) capable of interfering with the normal functioning of the thyroid, affecting the proper regulation of the biosynthesis of thyroid hormones (THs), which is controlled by the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis (HPT). Given the crucial role of these hormones in health and the growing evidence of diseases related to thyroid dysfunction, this review looks at the effects of paraben exposure on the thyroid. In this study, we considered research carried out in vitro and in vivo and epidemiological studies published between 1951 and 2023, which demonstrated an association between exposure to parabens and dysfunctions of the HPT axis.

Testosterone deficiency impairs cardiac interfibrillar mitochondrial function and myocardial contractility while inducing oxidative stress.

Introduction: Clinical studies have shown that low levels of endogenous testosterone are associated with cardiovascular diseases. Considering the intimate connection between oxidative metabolism and myocardial contractility, we determined the effects of testosterone deficiency on the two spatially distinct subpopulations of cardiac mitochondria, subsarcolemmal (SSM) and interfibrillar (IFM).

Methods: We assessed cardiac function and cardiac mitochondria structure of SSM and IFM after 12 weeks of testosterone deficiency in male Wistar rats.

Effects of microcystin-LR on mammalian ovaries.

The ovaries play critical roles in regulating oocyte maturation and sex steroid hormone production and thus are critical for female reproduction. Ovarian function relies on hormone receptors and signaling pathways, making the ovaries potential targets for environmental factors, such as microcystins (MCs). MCs are a diverse group of cyanobacterial toxins generally found in eutrophic water or algal blooms.

Subacute high-refined carbohydrate diet leads to abnormal reproductive control of the hypothalamic-pituitary axis in female rats.

We previously reported that female rats placed on a diet containing refined carbohydrates (HCD) resulted in obesity and reproductive abnormalities, such as high serum LH concentration and abnormal ovarian function. However, the impacts at the hypothalamic-pituitary (HP) function, specifically regarding pathways linked to reproductive axis modulation are unknown. In this study, we assessed whether subacute feeding with HCD results in abnormal reproductive control in the HP axis.

Subacute and low dose of tributyltin exposure leads to brown adipose abnormalities in male rats.

Tributyltin (TBT) is an obesogenic endocrine disrupting chemical (EDC) linked with several metabolic complications. Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is the principal site for thermogenesis, making it a potential target for obesity management and metabolic disease. However, few studies have evaluated TBT effect on BAT function.

Sex-dependent vascular effects of cadmium sub-chronic exposure on rats.

Cadmium exposure is related to several cardiovascular diseases, such as hypertension, atherosclerosis and endothelial dysfunction. However, the toxic effect of cadmium can be dependent on the sex when examined sex in experimental models. The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of cadmium exposure on the cardiovascular system of male and female rodents.