Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Life Sciences, Pondicherry University, Pondicherry 605 014, India.
Asian J Androl. 2011 Jul;13(4):585-91. doi: 10.1038/aja.2011.40. Epub 2011 Jun 27.
Male reproductive health has deteriorated considerably in the last few decades. Nutritional, socioeconomic, lifestyle and environmental factors (among others) have been attributed to compromising male reproductive health. In recent years, a large volume of evidence has accumulated that suggests that the trend of decreasing male fertility (in terms of sperm count, quality and other changes in male reproductive health) might be due to exposure to environmental toxicants. These environmental contaminants can mimic natural oestrogens and target testicular spermatogenesis, steroidogenesis, and the function of both Sertoli and Leydig cells. Most environmental toxicants have been shown to induce reactive oxygen species, thereby causing a state of oxidative stress in various compartments of the testes. However, the molecular mechanism(s) of action of the environmental toxicants on the testis have yet to be elucidated. This review discusses the effects of some of the more commonly used environmental contaminants on testicular function through the induction of oxidative stress and apoptosis.
在过去几十年中，男性生殖健康状况显著恶化。营养、社会经济、生活方式和环境因素（等等）被认为会损害男性生殖健康。近年来，大量证据表明，男性生育力下降的趋势（就精子数量、质量和男性生殖健康的其他变化而言）可能是由于暴露于环境毒物。这些环境污染物可以模拟天然雌激素，并针对睾丸精子发生、类固醇生成以及支持细胞和间质细胞的功能。大多数环境毒物已被证明会诱导活性氧，从而导致睾丸各个部位的氧化应激状态。然而，环境毒物对睾丸的作用的分子机制尚未阐明。这篇综述讨论了一些更常用的环境污染物通过诱导氧化应激和细胞凋亡对睾丸功能的影响。
