Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA.
Comparative Biosciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA.
Reproduction. 2024 Nov 11;168(6). doi: 10.1530/REP-24-0145. Print 2024 Dec 1.
The rodent reproductive behavioral control column of the hypothalamus and the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis are critical systems that regulate copulatory behaviors in both males and females. We review how endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), specifically phthalates, bisphenol A, and chemical mixtures, dysregulate appetitive and consummatory copulatory behaviors and their neuroendocrine substrates, using mouse and rodent models.
Sexual reproduction - from both physiological and behavioral perspectives - is dependent upon appropriate connections between a diverse, hormone-modulated network of neural regions. Importantly, these substrates are regulated by hormones across the lifespan from early development to adulthood, making them targets of EDCs. Rodents, such as mice and rats, are invaluable to the characterization of EDCs because of their sex-specific, stereotyped appetitive and consummatory reproductive behaviors. Phthalates, bisphenol A (BPA), and EDC mixtures pose a salient risk to the health of humans, wildlife, and livestock because these synthetic compounds are ubiquitous due to their widespread use in the mass production of consumer and industrial goods. This review outlines how the HPG axis regulates male and female sexual behaviors, and how phthalates and BPA can perturb appetitive and consummatory behaviors and impact neural substrates that modulate reproductive behavior. We will then discuss how to progress toward a clearer understanding of the reproductive and neurobiological changes that occur due to EDC exposure.
下丘脑的啮齿动物生殖行为控制柱和下丘脑-垂体-性腺（HPG）轴是调节雌雄两性交配行为的关键系统。我们综述了内分泌干扰化学物质（EDCs），特别是邻苯二甲酸酯、双酚 A 和化学混合物，如何通过小鼠和啮齿动物模型失调与摄食和交配行为及其神经内分泌底物相关的求爱和交配行为，以及其神经内分泌底物。
从生理和行为的角度来看，性繁殖依赖于多样化的、受激素调节的神经网络之间的适当连接。重要的是，这些基质受激素调节，贯穿从早期发育到成年的整个生命周期，使它们成为 EDC 的靶标。由于其特定于性别的、刻板的求爱和交配行为，啮齿动物（如老鼠和大鼠）对于 EDC 的特征描述非常有价值。邻苯二甲酸酯、双酚 A（BPA）和 EDC 混合物对人类、野生动物和牲畜的健康构成了明显的威胁，因为这些合成化合物由于广泛用于大规模生产消费品和工业产品而无处不在。本综述概述了 HPG 轴如何调节雄性和雌性的性行为，以及邻苯二甲酸酯和 BPA 如何扰乱求爱和交配行为，并影响调节生殖行为的神经基质。然后，我们将讨论如何更清楚地了解由于 EDC 暴露而发生的生殖和神经生物学变化。
