Mruk Dolores D, Cheng C Yan
The Mary M. Wohlford Laboratory for Male Contraceptive Research; Center for Biomedical Research; The Population Council; New York, NY USA.
Spermatogenesis. 2011 Oct;1(4):283-290. doi: 10.4161/spmg.1.4.18328. Epub 2011 Oct 1.
Contaminants such as cadmium, bisphenol A and lead pollute our environment and affect male reproductive function. There is evidence that toxicant exposure adversely affects fertility. Cadmium and bisphenol A exert their effects in the testis by perturbing blood-testis barrier function, which in turn affects germ cell adhesion in the seminiferous epithelium because of a disruption of the functional axis between these sites. In essence, cadmium mediates its adverse effects at the blood-testis barrier by disrupting cell adhesion protein complexes, illustrating that toxicants can dismantle cell junctions in the testis. Herein, we will discuss how environmental toxicants may affect reproductive function. We will also examine how these adverse effects on fertility may be mediated in part by adipose tissue and bone. Lastly, we will briefly discuss how toxicant-induced damage may be effectively managed so that fertility can be maintained. It is hoped that this information will offer a new paradigm for future studies.
镉、双酚A和铅等污染物污染我们的环境并影响男性生殖功能。有证据表明，接触有毒物质会对生育能力产生不利影响。镉和双酚A通过扰乱血睾屏障功能在睾丸中发挥作用，这反过来又会影响生精上皮中的生殖细胞黏附，因为这些部位之间的功能轴被破坏。从本质上讲，镉通过破坏细胞黏附蛋白复合物在血睾屏障处介导其不良影响，这表明有毒物质可以破坏睾丸中的细胞连接。在此，我们将讨论环境有毒物质如何影响生殖功能。我们还将研究这些对生育能力的不利影响如何部分地由脂肪组织和骨骼介导。最后，我们将简要讨论如何有效管理有毒物质诱导的损伤，以便维持生育能力。希望这些信息能为未来的研究提供一个新的范例。
