Di Lorenzo Mariana, Mileo Aldo, Laforgia Vincenza, De Falco Maria, Rosati Luigi
Department of Biology, University of Naples ''Federico II'', 80126 Naples, Italy.
National Institute of Biostructures and Biosystems (INBB), 00136 Rome, Italy.
Animals (Basel). 2021 Apr 2;11(4):1003. doi: 10.3390/ani11041003.
Nonylphenol (NP) and Octylphenol (OP) are persistent and non-biodegradable environmental contaminants classified as endocrine disruptor chemicals (EDCs). These compounds are widely used in several industrial applications and present estrogen-like properties, which have extensively been studied in aquatic organisms. The present study aimed to verify the interference of these compounds alone, and in mixture, on the reproductive cycle of the male terrestrial vertebrate focusing mainly on the steroidogenesis process.
Male lizards have been treated with different injections of both NP and OP alone and in mixture, and evaluation has been carried out using a histological approach.
Results obtained showed that both substances are able to alter both testis histology and localization of key steroidogenic enzymes, such as 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3β-HSD), 17β- hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (17β-HSD) and P450 aromatase. Moreover, OP exerts a preponderant effect, and the P450 aromatase represents the major target of both chemicals.
In conclusion, NP and OP inhibit steroidogenesis, which in turn may reduce the reproductive capacity of the specimens.
壬基酚（NP）和辛基酚（OP）是持久性且不可生物降解的环境污染物，被归类为内分泌干扰化学物质（EDCs）。这些化合物广泛应用于多种工业领域，具有雌激素样特性，已在水生生物中得到广泛研究。本研究旨在验证这些化合物单独及混合使用时对雄性陆生脊椎动物生殖周期的干扰，主要聚焦于类固醇生成过程。
对雄性蜥蜴分别单独及混合注射不同剂量的NP和OP，并采用组织学方法进行评估。
所得结果表明，这两种物质均能改变睾丸组织学结构以及关键类固醇生成酶（如3β-羟基类固醇脱氢酶（3β-HSD）、17β-羟基类固醇脱氢酶（17β-HSD）和P450芳香化酶）的定位。此外，OP发挥着主要作用，且P450芳香化酶是这两种化学物质的主要作用靶点。
总之，NP和OP抑制类固醇生成，进而可能降低样本的生殖能力。
