Table 1.

Summary of the potential effects of TCS exposure on the female and male reproductive system

	Female		Male
	animal	human	animal	human
Hormone homeostasis, levels of reproductive hormones	hyperprolactinemia, suppression of hypothalamic kisspeptin expression (17)	increased estradiol and progesterone levels in cultured human ovarian granulosa cells (12) TCS did not affect levels of estradiol, FSH and anti-Müllerian hormone (13) increased levels of LH and LH/FSH ratio in women without PCOS (15)	decreased levels of serum LH, FSH, cholesterol, pregnenolone, and testosterone in rats, elevated level of E2 in weanling male rats (4,44)	reduced level of FSH, testosterone, estradiol (4)
Reproductive health, fertility	oxidative damage in ovaries and advance ROS-dependent ovary apoptosis (11) decreased number of implantation site in the uteri of inseminated mice (23)	reduced antral follicle count (13, 14), increased risks of prolonged menstrual cycle and abnormal menstruation (19) implantation failures and impairment of reproduction (20), uncertain due to discrepancies in research when measured time-to-pregnancy (28)	disrupted steroidogenesis via mRNA pathways, inhibition of steroidogenic proteins involved in synthesis of testosterone, inducing expression of enzymes participating in metabolism of testosterone, in mice (9) reduced weights of the epididymis and seminal vesicle, significant increase in the percentage of abnormal spermatozoa in the epididymis. decrease in levels of epididymal sialic acid and seminal vesicular fructose in the mice (44, 45) decreased semen production can disrupt fertility	studies are inconsistent if TCS is toxic for semen quality and male fertility the effect of TCS on pathozoospermia was not statistically significant increased sperm count total concentration, in men from general population (29) harmful influence of TCS on semen quality, sperm DNA damage, increased percentage of sperm with abnormal morphology (4) no correlation between triclosan and semen quality (5)
Carcinogenesis	−	an increased risk of endometrial, ovarian and breast cancer due to estrogen exposure (12, 38), induced growth of human ovarian cancer cells through an ER-dependent pathway (42)	−	promoting carcinogenesis in human prostate cancer cells via VEGF induction, upregulating cathepsin D expression and enhancing cell motility (42, 43)
Effect on offspring	an unfavourable effect on reproductive functions and fertility of F1 male rats (22) higher testosterone concentrations, decreased aromatase cytochrome P450, 3β-HSD and 17β-HSD levels in the placenta (25), perturbed expression of steroid hormone receptors, StAR and aromatase, increased pre- and post-implantation loss, negative influence on the sperm count and motility, a delay in testis descent in the F1 male rats, reduced crown-rump length and weights of fetuses in F2 generations (22), reduced cord serum testosterone levels in female newborns prenatally exposed to TCS (26) earlier menarche in girls after prenatal exposure to TCS (27)	Effect on offspring	an unfavourable effect on reproductive functions and fertility of F1 male rats (22) higher testosterone concentrations, decreased aromatase cytochrome P450, 3β-HSD and 17β-HSD levels in the placenta (25), perturbed expression of steroid hormone receptors, StAR and aromatase, increased pre- and post-implantation loss, negative influence on the sperm count and motility, a delay in testis descent in the F1 male rats, reduced crown-rump length and weights of fetuses in F2 generations (22), reduced cord serum testosterone levels in female newborns prenatally exposed to TCS (26) earlier menarche in girls after prenatal exposure to TCS (27)	Effect on offspring

TCS (triclosan); FSH (follicle-stimulating hormone); LH (luteinizing hormone); PCOS (policystic ovary syndrome); E2 (estradiol); ROS (reactive oxygen species), miRNA (micro-ribonucleic acid); ER (estrogen receptor); DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid); VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor); 3 β-HSD (3 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase); 17β-HSD (17 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase); StAR (steroidogenic acute regulatory protein); F1, F2 (generations of male rats); mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid).