Table 4.
Recent evidences on the effects of EDCs on fertility in men.
| Contaminant | Substrate | Cohort | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| BPA | Semen and serum | 365 semen samples. Maternal serum collected at 18 and 34 weeks’ gestation | Sperm concentration and motility were significantly correlated with maternal serum BPA levels [275] |
| BPA | Semen and urine | 215 healthy young men (18–23 years) | BPA levels were significantly and negatively correlated with sperm concentration. No significant associations were found among BPA and other semen quality parameters or reproductive hormone levels [276] |
| BPA | Cord blood | 283 neonates | Positive association of BPA levels with testosterone, estradiol, and progesterone levels in boys [277] |
| BPA, phthalates | Urine from 1st, 2nd, 3rd trimesters of pregnancy | 109 boys | Exposure to phthalates during the 3rd trimester associated with lower odds of having Pubic Hair Tanner stage >1 for and higher peripubertal SHBG levels [266] |
| BPA, PCBs | Plasma and semen | 191 men | Seminal BPA, but not plasma BPA, was negatively associated with sperm concentration and morphology. PCB was negatively associated with testosterone, free testosterone, free androgen index and DHT in plasma [278] |
| BPA | Placenta | 28 cases and 51 healthy controls in newborns | Increase of BPA levels are associated with of cryptorchidism and hypospadias [279] |
| Phthalate | Urine, semen and blood | 796 healthy man | Association with low semen quality and alteration of reproductive hormones even with a dose below the reference doses [280] |
| Phthalate | Serum | 112 adolescents | Highest exposure of one DiNP metabolites associated with lower total testicular volume, higher levels of FSH and lower semen volume. Men in the highest exposure of one DEHP metabolite show lower semen volume [281] |
| Phthalate metabolites | Urine and semen | 501 healthy man | Association between urinary metabolites and lower total sperm counts and concentrations, larger sperm head sizes, higher proportions of megalo head sperm morphology. MEHP was significantly associated with higher sperm motility [282] |
| Pesticides | Blood | 189 healthy young men | The total intake of fruit and vegetables was unrelated to semen quality. Intake with low-to-moderate pesticide residues was associated with a higher total sperm count and sperm concentration [283] |
| Organochlorine Pesticides | Environmental level | 963 cryptorchid men; 678 hypospadias; 65 micropenis; 587,142 controls | Prevalence rates for cryptorchidism, hypospadias and micropenis were significantly greater in areas of high environmental exposure to pesticides in relation to those with low exposure [284] |
| Pesticides (atrazine) | Drinking water | 343 cases with hypospadias and 1422 male controls | No association between hypospadias and daily maternal atrazine exposure during the critical window of genitourinary development [285] |
| Pesticides | Semen | 2122 men who underwent andrological investigation for couple infertility | Exposure to pesticides was associated with a significantly higher risk of asthenozoospermia and necrozoospermia [286] |
| Pesticides | Serum and semen | 99 rural and 36 urban men (18–23 years) | Rural men had poorer sperm morphology, higher sperm count, and lower LH levels than urban subjects. Maternal farming during pregnancy was associated with larger anogenital distance and testis volume [287] |
| PCBs, PCDD/Fs, and PBDEs | Subcutaneous adipose tissue biopsies | 44 cryptorchid cases, and 38 controls | Prenatal exposure to PCDD/Fs and PCDD/F-like PCBs may be associated with increased risk for cryptorchidism [288] |
Abbreviations: BPA: Bisphenol A; yr: years, SHBG: Sex Hormone Binding Globulin; PCBs: Polychlorinated biphenyls; DHT: Dihydrotestosterone; DEHP: di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate; DBP: Dibutyl phthalate, DEP: Diethyl phthalate; DOP: Di-n-octyl phthalate; MBzP: monobenzyl phthalate; MEHP: monoethylhexyl phthalate; DiNP: diisononyl phthalate; FSH: Follicle-Stimulating Hormone; 2,4-D: 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid; LH: luteinizing hormone; PCDD/Fs: polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and furans; PBDEs: Polybrominated diphenyl ethers.