Faculty of Health Sciences
School of Medicine
Department of Physiology
Combined effects of p-nonylphenol and phyto-oestrogen treatment (in utero and through adulthood) on testicular function
Many environmental oestrogens are commonly encountered in the workplace of many male-dominated occupations, such as printers, painters, auto mechanics, chemical and metal workers. Although exposure to high concentrations of these chemicals may not be commonplace, of greater concern is the exceptional long half-lives of these chemicals and low-dose exposure to them. One of these environmental oestrogens is p-nonylphenol (p-NP), a degradation product of the widely used nonylphenol polyethoxylates. p-NP is used in the preparation of lubricating oil additives, resins, plasticizers and surface active agents, and is a constituent of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipes used to relay drinking water. Nonylphenol is known to inhibit the binding of steroids to their receptors and their binding proteins. Previous studies showed that p-NP treatment reduces male fertility in rats. The steroid hormone-dependent process of male germ cell development and maturation (spermatogenesis) includes both physiological cell death and proliferation. This study therefore aims to investigate to what extent these two processes are affected by p-NP toxicity.
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