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Tetrabromobisphenol A-bis(2,3-dibromopropyl ether) (TBBPA-BDBPE), a widely used flame retardant, has been frequently detected in various environmental compartments, but its health hazard remains largely unknown. Here, we investigated the adverse effects of TBBPA-BDBPE (50 and 1000 μg/kg/day) on postnatal testis development in CD-1 mice and the underlying mechanism. Following the first week of maternal exposure, neonatal mice in the high-dose group exhibited reduced seminiferous tubule area, fewer Sertoli cells and germ cells, and damaged microtubules in Sertoli cells; even microtubule damage was also observed in the low-dose group. When exposure extended to adulthood, male offspring in the high-dose group presented more remarkable alterations in reproductive parameters, including reduced sperm count; in the low-dose group, microtubule damage was also observable, along with blood-testis barrier impairment. Further molecular docking analysis and tubulin polymerization assay indicated that TBBPA-BDBPE could interact with tubulin and disrupt its polymerization. Moreover, we observed attenuated microtubules in mouse Sertoli cells (TM4) following TBBPA-BDBPE treatment, suggesting that TBBPA-BDBPE impaired testis development possibly by interfering with tubulin dynamics. This study not only highlights the male reproductive hazard of TBBPA-BDBPE but also greatly improved the understanding of the molecular mechanism for male reproductive toxicity of chemicals.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/envhealth.3c00044 | DOI Listing |
EMBO Mol Med
September 2025
State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, 100071, Beijing, China.
Traditional live attenuated vaccines (LAVs) are typically developed through serial passaging or genetic engineering to introduce specific mutations or deletions. While viral RNA secondary or tertiary structures have been well-documented for their multiple functions, including binding with specific host proteins, their potential for LAV design remains largely unexplored. Herein, using Zika virus (ZIKV) as a model, we demonstrate that targeted disruption of the primary sequence or tertiary structure of a specific viral RNA element responsible for Musashi-1 (MSI1) binding leads to a tissue-specific attenuation phenotype in multiple animal models.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHum Reprod
September 2025
Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Santé Publique, Institut de recherche en santé, environnement et travail, Université de Rennes-UMR_S1085, Rennes, France.
Study Question: What is the direct effect of mumps virus (MuV) replication within the human testis on the tissue innate immune responses and testicular cell functions?
Summary Answer: MuV induces an early pro-inflammatory response in the human testis ex vivo and infects both Leydig cells and Sertoli cells, which drastically alters testosterone and inhibin B production.
What Is Known Already: Despite widespread vaccination efforts, orchitis remains a significant complication of MuV infection, especially in young men, which potentially results in infertility in up to 87% of patients with bilateral orchitis. Our understanding of MuV pathogenesis in the human testis has been limited by the lack of relevant animal models, impairing the development of effective treatments.
Ecotoxicol Environ Saf
September 2025
Center for Reproductive Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, 107 Wenhua West Road, Jinan, Shandong 250012, China; Shandong Key Laboratory of Reproductive Health and Birth Defects Prevention and Control, China. Electronic address:
Di-isobutyl phthalate (DiBP), a member of the phthalate esters, is frequently used in manufacturing consumer and industrial products as plasticizer to improve durability and flexibility. Despite much research, little is known about the direct mechanisms by which DiBP harms the male reproductive system. In the present study, a male ICR mice model was developed to investigate the reproductive effect and mechanism of DiBP exposure, followed by transcriptomics, non-targeted metabolome, and 16S rDNA sequencing accordingly.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Clin Endocrinol Metab
September 2025
National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health.
Context: Testicular adrenal rest tumors (TART) frequently develop and are the most common cause of male infertility in classic congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH). Little is known about the natural course.
Objective: We aimed to investigate age of onset, associated factors, and characterize the sonographic natural history of TART in males with classic CAH followed prospectively from childhood to adulthood.
Reproduction
October 2025
Department of Veterinary Medicine, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco (UFRPE), Recife, Brazil.
In Brief: Chronic hyperglycemia prolongs ZIKV infection and exacerbates testicular damage in mice. The combined condition severely impairs spermatogenesis through oxidative stress and inflammation.
Abstract: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality, with a rapid increase in its prevalence worldwide, particularly in developing countries.