• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.60 no.2
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• pp.118-124
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• 2016

Parabens were commonly used for preventing the growth of microorganisms as preservatives in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food industry. Also, parabens are known endocrine disruptors because of their estrogenic effects on human. Parabens affect the endocrine system and show adverse effect such as, genital malformations, precocious puberty and testicular cancer in young children, infants and fetuses. In this study, we developed analytical method for four parabens (methyl paraben, ethyl paraben, propyl paraben, butyl paraben) in human breast milk which frequently consumed by newborn baby. The analytes were extracted using liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) after enzyme hydrolysis with protease and lipase, then quantitative analysis was performed by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The method validation results were as follows; the linearity of calibration curves were excellent with coefficient of determinations (r²) higher than 0.999, the limit of detections (LODs) were 0.019~0.044 ng/mL, the accuracies were 85.3~105.9% and the precisions were lower than 10%. The average concentration ± standard deviation of parabens in ten human breast milk sample were MP 0.660 ± 0.519 ng/mL, EP 1.631 ± 2.081 ng/mL and PP 0.326 ± 0.320 ng/mL, and BP was not detected.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.159-166
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• 2011

Simazine (6-chloro-N,N'-diethyl-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diamine) is a triazine herbicide that has been applied worldwide including Korea for agricultural purposes. Simazine is the second most commonly detected pesticide in surfaceand ground-water in the United States, Europe and Australia. It has been shown that simazine is a potent endocrine disruptor in wildlife and laboratory animals. Although many endocrine disruptors can induce apoptosis in various types of cells, the effects of simazine on apoptosis and on the expression of Bcl-2 family genes are not known. Also it is unknown the effect of simazine on the expression of steroidogenesis-regulating genes in testicular cells. In this study, we investigated the effect of simazine on the expression levels of apoptosis- and steroidogenesis-regulating genes in testicular cells. We found that a low concentration of simazine can alter the mRNA expression levels of steroidogenesis-related genes and Bcl-2 family genes in mouse Sertoli cells and rat Leydig cells. Thus, our results suggest that simazine can disturb normal testicular development and reproductive function by altering the expression of genes that are critical for the regulation of apoptosis and steroidogenesis.

• Environmental Mutagens and Carcinogens
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.53-58
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• 2006

Normally, environmental toxicants are classified as endocrine disruptors if they interfere with regulation of cellular function by endogeneous steroids through inhibition of receptor binding and/or transcriptional activation. So, many studies have been performed about agonist/antagonist of hormone receptor to study mechanisms of endocrine disruptors. If toxicants affect steroid biosynthesis and/or degradation and alter hormone homeostasis, these also are classified as endocrine disruptors. But there are not many studies of the mechanisms of endocrine disruptors on the basis of alteration of steroid biosynthesis and/or degradation. Isolation and culture of Leydig cells from testis is one of methods for the steroidogenesis screening assays to evaluate a substance for altering steroidogenesis. Leydig cells were harvested using the method described by Klinefelter with modifications. Leydig cells were purified by perfusion of testis and incubation ($34^{\circ}C$, 80cycles/minute, 20 minutes) with collagenase (0.25 mg/kg), centrifugal elutriation, percoll gradient centrifugation and BSA multidensity gradient centrifugation. To confirm if this method is one of appropriate tools to evaluate a substance for altering steroidogenesis, ketoconazole, positive control was administered to purified Leydig cells. Ketoconazole ($10^{-8}M$ and above) significantly reduced testosterone production in purified Leydig cells. From above results, we suggest that this method for steroidogenesis screening assay appears to be a appropriate tool to detect suspected compounds for altering steroidogenesis.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.38 no.3 s.113
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• pp.304-312
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• 2005

Effects of two endocrine disrupters (EDs) , nonylphenol (NP) and diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), on the population growth and morphology of two freshwater HABs (harmful algal blooms) , Microcystis aeruginosa and Stephanodiscus hantzschii, which frequently evoked the hazard bloom in an eutrophic lakes and reservoirs worldwide, were examined with seven different concentrations of EDs (0.01, 0.05, 0.1, 1,2, 2.5 and 3 ppm). Even at concentration below 0.01 ppm, NP strongly inhibited the algal growth of both M. aeruginosa and S. hantzschii, regardless of the algal growth phase. Morphologically, the algal cell treated with NP gradually lost green color in cytoplasm, became smaller in cell size, and then, was hardly seen in microscopic field. On the other hand, DEHP employed did not affect two algae at all concentrations, and rather stimulated the growth by about 10% with a treatment at 3.00 ppm compared to control. These results indicate that the continuous input of EDs, DEHP into the natural water system plays a crucial role to enhance or help an outbreak of algal bloom in eutrophic waters.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.683-692
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• 2000

The volatile organic compounds emitted from food wrapping films when it was used at high temperatures. However, the testing method based on solvent extraction may not be suitable for determination of volatile organic compounds from food wrapping films. Therefore, thermal extraction device was investigated in the study for reflection of actual usage conditions at home and restaurant. In this study, PVC food wrapping films were exposed to normal use condition controlled from $50^{\circ}C$ to $120^{\circ}C$ and collected on sorbent trap. Then, emitted VOCs from the films were analyzed with On-column cryofocusing-GC/MS system. The major VOCs emitted from films were $C_{12}-C_{18}$ paraffinic hydrocarbons, dimethylphthalate, alkylphenols, known as endocrine disrupting chemical, such as tetramethylbutylphenol, tert-butylphenol, and nonylphenol. The concentration of tetramethylbutylphenol emitted from PVC films was $0.07ng/cm^2$ at $50^{\circ}C$, rapidly increased with temperature, $3.94ng/cm^2$ at $100^{\circ}C$.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.48 no.5
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• pp.651-662
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• 2006

Phthalate esters that are used as plasticizers and also found at low levels in foods such as dairy products are often mentioned as suspected endocrine disrupters. The purpose of the present study is to elucidate whether perinatal exposure to di-n-butyl phthalate(DBP), diisononyl phthalate (DINP) and di-2-ethylhexyl adipate (DEHA) affects several aspects of reproductive function in rats especially sexual differentiation of the brain. To this end, the dams were provided with pulverized soy-free diet containing 20, 200, 2,000 and 10,000 ppm of DBP, 40, 400, 4,000 and 20,000 ppm of DINP, or 480, 2,400 and 12,000 ppm of DEHA from gestational day (GD) 15 to postnatal day (PDN) 21, the day of weaning, and serum sex steroid hormone, gonadotropin levels and sexual behaviors after maturation were assessed. At Postnatal week (PNW) 20-21, serum levels of sex steroids and gonadotropins in both male and female rats, as well as estrous cyclicity in females, were not changed by perinatal exposure to DBP, DINP and DEHA, indicating that these chemicals did not affect sexual differentiation of the brain controlling the endocrine system of hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis. On the other hand, inhibitory influences on sexual behaviors, especially on ejaculation in males and lordosis in females, were observed by perinatal exposure to these chemicals. These results suggest that these chemicals may act directly on discrete regions of the hypothalamus regulating sexual behaviors, but not regulating gonadotropin secretion, thereby affect sexual differentiation of the brain with a resultant decrease in sex-specific behaviors in adulthood.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.129-138
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• 1999

Chlorinated aromatic compounds are one of the largest groups of environmental pollutants as a result of world-wide distribution by using them as herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, solvents, hydraulic and heat transfer fluids, plasticizers, and intermediates for chemical synthesis. Because of their toxicity, persistence, and bioaccumulation, the compounds contaminated ubiquitously in the biosphere has attracted public concerns in terms of serious influences to wild lives and a human being, such as carcinogenicity, mutagenicity, and disturbance in endocrine systems. The biological recalcitrance of the compounds is caused by the number, type, and position of the chlorine substituents as well as by their aromatic structures. In general, the carbon-halogen bonds increase the recalcitrance by increasing electronegativity of the substituent, so that the dechlorination of the compounds is focused as an important mechanism for biodegradation of chlorinated aromatics, along with the cleavage of aromatic rings. The removal of the chlorine substituents has been known as a key step for degradation of chlorinated aromatic compounds under aerobic condition. This can occur as an initial step via oxygenolytic, reductive, and hydrolytic mechanisms. The studies on the biochemistry and genetics about microbial dechlorination give us the potential informations for microbial degradation of xenobiotics contaminated in natural microcosms. Such investigations might provide biotechnological approaches to solve the environmental contamination, such as designing effective bioremediation systems using genetically engineered microorganisms.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.181-191
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• 2008

Objective: Environmental chemicals alter reproduction, growth, and survival by changing the normal function of the endocrine system. Bisphenol A (BPA), one of the endocrine disruptors, is known to be an estrogen receptor agonist. Therefore, we hypothesized that BPA may affect male reproduction including spermatogenesis in the mouse testis. Methods: We used 7-week-old ICR mice. The first experiment group received BPA in sesame oil (vehicle, 1 mg/kg, 10 mg/kg, and 100 mg/kg) by i.p. injection and mice were sacrificed 24 hr later. The second experiment group received BPA (vehicle, 10 ${\mu}g/kg$, 1 mg/kg, and 100 mg/kg) daily for 14 days by subcutaneous injection. Expression of cell type-specific marker genes in the testis was evaluated by RT-PCR. Histological analysis, immunofluorescence staining, and TUNEL staining were also performed. Results: RT-PCR analyses showed that expression of luteinizing hormone receptor (LHR), a marker gene for the Leydig cell, was notably decreased in the testes of high dose-exposed mice. No obvious difference in the histology of testes was noted among treatment groups. Immunostaining of LHR in the first experiment group did not show noticeable difference in LHR protein expression in Leydig cells. Immunohistochemistry also revealed heightened expression of the immunoreactive Bax in the treatment group, and this was accompanied by positive TUNEL staining in the interstitial area within testis where Leydig cells reside. Conclusions: Our result suggests that BPA affects Leydig cell functions by altering gene expression and by increasing apoptosis in the mouse testis.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.252-257
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• 2023

In this study, to replace phthalate-based plasticizers known as endocrine disruptors, compounds as plasticizer candidates were synthesized by using alcohols containing rings and fatty acids extracted from animal and vegetable oils, and their properties as plasticizers, including their plasticization efficiency, were evaluated. Nine compounds synthesized by esterification of fatty acids (caprylic acid, capric acid, lauric acid) and alcohols (solketal, benzyl alcohol, cyclohexanol) were identified by ¹H-NMR. The nine synthetic compounds were evaluated for their plasticity by adding them to PVC resin, and compared with the commercial plasticizers DEHP, DINCH, and ESO. According to the results, plasticization efficiency was 0.96 to 1.02 times higher than DEHP, 0.94 to 0.98 times higher than ESO, and 1.05 to 1.10 times higher than DINCH. Thermal stability was somewhat lower than that of DEHP and DINCH, but showed better results than ESO. The results of the solvent extraction test showed that both aqueous and oily solvents showed higher values than DEHP and DINCH but showed similar or superior properties to ESO.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.244-254
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• 2006

Flame retardants are added to prevent catching fire and to slow down the burning process. PBDEs are known to affect thyroid hormones and hormone disruption. The aim of this study was to propose a manual for determination of PBDEs, and investigate the accumulation of PBDEs(BDE-28, 47, 99, 100, 153, 154 and 183) in fish&shellfish and human milk samples. Pre-treatment for PBDEs determination, alkali digestion and L-L(Liquid-Liquid) extraction method could be applied to fish and shellfish. When Multi-layer column was used for cleaning up the sample, 50 mL of hexane and 100 mL of hexane:dichloromethane(9:1) solutions were used for pre- and post-elution, respectively. Activated-carbon column was optimized by a 100 mL of hexane:dichloromethane(3:1). The result of fish, highest concentration was detected in flatfish, 890 pg/g(wet weight). The other side, lowest concentration was detected in pollack, 40 pg/g(wet weight). The result of breast milk, PBDEs was detected 2,580 and 3,600 pg/g(lipid weight) from breast milk of Seoul and Juju, respectively. BDE-153 and 183 were not detected in all samples. There was no difference in PBDEs level was not difference between first and second delivery. In this study, we could find that PBDEs level in Korea is lower than other countries.