• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.63 no.4
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• pp.146-150
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• 2020

Background: The incidence of precocious puberty has increased throughout the 20th century. The association between precocious puberty and endocrine disrupting chemicals including agricultural pesticides has been a subject of global study, but human data are lacking. Purpose: We investigated the relationship between agricultural pesticides and the development of precocious puberty. Methods: We enrolled 60 female subjects at Severance Children's Hospital from December 2015 to January 2017. Of them, 30 were diagnosed with precocious puberty, while the other 30 prepubertal girls were enrolled as normal controls. We investigated their clinical characteristics and analyzed the urinary levels of 320 different agricultural pesticides. Results: Agricultural pesticide was detected in one of 30 patients with precocious puberty (3.3%) versus 2 of 30 girls in the normal control group (3.3% vs. 6.7%, P=0.554). Dinotefuran, a neonicotinoid-class insecticide, was detected in the samples of all 3 positive subjects. Conclusion: Our results showed no relationship between agricultural pesticides and the development of precocious puberty. Larger sample sizes and robustly controlled variables are necessary to further investigate this topic.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.24 no.10
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• pp.330-339
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• 2021

Oyster (Crassostrea gigas) is a marine bivalve mollusk widely distributed in coastal areas, and have been long widely used in industrial resources. Several studies demonstrated that fermented oyster (FO) extract attribute to bone health, but whether administration of FO play as an endocrine disruptor has not been studied. Therefore, in the present study, we investigated the effect of FO on the endocrine system in vitro and in vivo. As the results of the competitive estrogen receptor (ER) and androgen receptor (AR) binding affinities, FO was not combined with ER-α, ER-β, and AR. However, 17β-estradiol and testosterone, used as positive control, were interacted with ER and AR, respectively. Meanwhile, oral administration of 100 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg of FO doesn't have any harmful effect on the body weight, androgen-dependent sex accessory organs, estrogen-dependent-sex accessory organs, kidney, and liver in immature rats. In addition, FO supplementation has no effect on the serum levels of luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), testosterone, and 17β-estradiol. However, the relative weight of androgen- and estrogen-dependent organs were significantly increased by subcutaneously injection of 4.0 mg/kg of testosterone propionate (TP) and by orally administration of 1.0 ㎍ of 17α-ethynyl estradiol (EE) in immature male and female rats, respectively. Furthermore, TP and EE administration markedly decreased the serum LH and FSH levels, which are similar those of mature Sprague-Dawley (SD) rat. Furthermore, the testosterone and 17β-estradiol levels were significantly enhanced in TP and EE-treated immature rats. Taken together, our findings showed that FO does not interact with ER and AR, suggesting consequentially FO does not play as a ligand for ER and AR. Furthermore, oral administration of FO did not act as an endocrine disruptor including androgenic activity, estrogenic activity, and abnormal levels of sex hormone, indicating FO may ensure the safety on endocrine system to develop dietary supplement for bone health.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.227-234
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• 2006

There has been increasing concern in recent years about the occurrence, fate and toxicity of pharmaceutical products in aquatic environment. Although these compounds have been detected in a wide variety of environmental samples including sewage effluent, surface waters, ground water and drinking water, their concentrations generally range from the low ppt to ppb levels. It is therefore often thought to be unlikely that pharmaceuticals will have a detrimental effect on the environment. This study was conducted to determine the endocrine disruption effects of the several pharmaceutical residues in water using adult Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes). The common antibiotics were used sulfa durgs (sulfamethoxazole and sulfamethazine) and tetracycline drugs (oxytetracycline and tetracycline). Positive control that was induced Vtg (vitellogenin) in male fish was used $17\beta$-estradiol. Vtg was qualified and quantified through Western blotting and ELISA. After SDS gel electrophoresis, the dominant protein band was identified to molecular weight approximately 205 kDa in whole body samples of vitellogenic female. In female medaka exposed to $17\beta$estradiol, there was no significant difference in total protein induction. In contrast, three to five day exposure of male fish to $17\beta$-estradiol resulted in more than 60.0% increase of total protein compared to that of control males (p<0.01). In case of antibiotics, female fish didn't show significant difference, but male fish was showed significant difference. In addition, Vtg induction in male fish was observed with all the test chemicals. On concentrations greater than 0.1 ppm of sulfamethoxazole, 1 ppm of sulfamethazine, 1 ppm of oxytetracycline and 20 ppm of tetracycline, Vtg induction was increased in a dose response manner. This study is one of the early reports suggesting potential endocrine disruption mechanism of antibiotic pharmaceutical products in aquatic ecosystem. Although the effect concentrations obtained from this study were high as unrealistically as in environments, it is endocrine disruption that we should be considered as one of the important consequences of pharmaceutical contamination at water environment, and warrants due attention in future researches.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.65-71
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• 2002

A benchmark dose (BMD) approach has been evaluated us a replacement for the traditional NOAEL methodology currently being wed to assess the noncancer effects of toxicants. The endocrine disrupt-ing effect of endosulfan which showed decrement of sperm count and testicular testosterone level in animals, was currently reported. The amount of endosulfan used as pesticide in the country has been continuously increased. The aim of this study was to suggest the permissible intake level (PIL), corresponding to Accept-able Daily Intake (ADI), based on endocrine disrupting effect wing BMD. Various animal data were collected by consideration of critical effect showing endocrine disruption and an animal data for reproductive toxicity was selected. The Power model from BMD software for induction of $BMD_10$ having meaning which is the dose at the 95% lower confidence limit on a 10% response was used due to that the form of selected dose-response animal data was continuous data. The $BMD_10$ was estimated to be 0.393 mg/kg/day based on reproductive toxicity showing decrement of sperm count. The permissible intake level (PIL) was calculated by dividing the $BMD_10$ by the uncertainty factors of 100 with consideration of from animal to human and human variability. The PIL as 0.004 mg/kg/day was compared with traditional ADI as 0.006 mg/kg/day based on the incidence of marked progressive glomerulonephrosis and blood vessel aneurysm in males.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.87-100
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• 2003

It is important to understand the potential human health implications of exposure to environmental chemicals that may act as hormonally active agents. It is necessary to have an understanding of how pharmaceutical and personal care products and other chemicals affect the ecosystem of our planet as well as human health. Endocrine disruption is defined as the ability of a chemical contaminating the workplace or the environment to interfere with homeostasis, development, reproduction, and/or behavior in a living organism or it's offspring. Certain classes of environmentally persistent chemicals such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dioxins, furans, and some pesticides can adversely effect the endocrine systems of aquatic life and terrestrial wildlife. Research continues to support the theory of endocrine disruption. However, endocrine disruption researches have been applied to proteomics poorly. Proteomics can be defined as the systematic analysis of proteins for their identity, quantity and function. It could increase the predictability of early drug development and identify non-invasive biomarkers of tonicity or efficacy. Proteome analysis is most commonly accomplished by the combination of two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2D/E) and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry (MS) sr protein chip array and SELDI-TOF MS. Proteomics have an opportunity to play an important role in resolving the question of what role endocrine disruptors play in initiating human disease. Proteomics can also play an imfortant role in the evaluation of the risk assessment and use of risk management and risk communication tools required to address public health concerns related to notions of endocrine disruptors. Understanding the need for the proteomics and possessing knowledge of the developing biomakers used to abbess endocrine activity potential will he essential components relevant to the topic of endocrine disruptors.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Embryo Transfer Conference
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• 2002.11a
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• pp.109-109
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• 2002

In recent reports, the multiple reproductive defects such as cryptorchidism, hypospadias, epididymal cysts, low sperm counts, and testicular cancers are increased in humans, and these changes were doubted by the chemicals with estrogenic or antiandrogenic activities in our environment. To compare the effects of neonatal exposure of di (n-butyl) phthalate and flutamide on the development of reproductive organs and to identify the specific mechanisms of these abnormalities related to the male reproducton, Sprague-Dawley neonate male rats were injected subcutaneously during 5-14 days after birth with corn oil (control), flutamide (0.05, 0.1, and 0.5 mg/animal) and DBP (5, 10, and 20 mg/animal). Animals were killed at 31 (immature) and 42 (pubertal) days of age respectively and blood was collected from abdominal aorta for serum testosterone analysis. Testes, epididymides, seminal vesicles, ventral prostate, levator ani plus bulbocavernosus muscle (LABC), cowpers glands and glans penis were weighed. Expression of steroid hormone receptors (AR and ER) was examined in the testes and ventral prostate. At 31 days of age, ventral prostate, seminal vesicles, LABC, and cowpers glands significantly decreased in the flutamide (0.5 mg/animal) and DBP (20 mg/animal), but serum testosterone levels were not changed. Flutamide slightly delayed the testes descent at the high dose (0.5 mg/animal), but DBP did not show any significant effect on the testes descent at all doses. DBP and flutamide decreased the expression of AR protein in the testes but did not affect the expression of ERa and ER protein in the testes. At 42 days of age, ventral prostate, seminal vesicles, and cowpers glands weights were still significantly decreased at the high dose of flutamide (0.5 mg/animal) and DBP (20 mg/animal), but the weights of testes and epididymides were not different. Serum testosterone decreased significantly in DBP treated animals and slightly, not significantly, in flutamide group. While DBP still significantly decreased the expression of AR protein in testis, flutamide recovered from downregulation of AR protein and did not affect the expression of ERa and ER protein in the testes. Based on these results, flutamide and DBP have shown several similar patterns in reproductive abnormalitis, but some marked differences which may be caused by different acting mechanism.

• The Korean Journal of Pesticide Science
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.69-77
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• 2012

To evaluate the effect of endocrine disruption chemicals (EDCs) to aquatic organisms, muddy loach (Misgurnus anguillicaudatus) was exposed to low concentration methomyl for 21 days in order to identify the effect of biomarkers and endocrine. Vitellogenin (VTG) in blood plasma, which used widely as validated biomarker for endocrine disruption, was significantly greater in male fish exposed to 0.4 mg/L and 2 mg/L methomyl, and in female fish exposed to 0.08 mg/L, 0.4 mg/L, and 2 mg/L methomyl for 21 days (p<0.05). This results suggest that methomyl have probability of endocrine disruption to organism on aquatic system. While inhibition of Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity and increase of DNA damage in comet assay were verified by fish exposed to methomyl, change of ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) activity was not occurred, comparing the control group (p<0.05). Indicators at the level of organism such as condition factor (CF), hepato-somatic index (HSI), and gonado-somatic index (GSI) were not influenced by exposure of methomyl. In conclusion, these results showed the possibility of methomyl in regard to not only endocrine disruption but also impacts on biochemical biomarkers to aquatic organisms.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.333-336
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• 2005

Environmental endocrine disruptors are very toxic to the animals including humans. They are hormone-like acting chemicals which can be found in our normal daily life. We have examined the toxic effect of bisphenol A and if lactic acid bacteria could suppress this toxic effect. Thirty rats were divided into three groups (control, bisphenol A treated, bisphenol A and lactic acid bacteria treated). Treatments were carried out at an interval of 12 hours for each group. Control group showed normal and clear morphology of tissues. Cells were fine in their shape and color, and density was high enough for the normal function. However, bisphenol A treated group was abnormally destructed in cell morphology. In the testis, sperms were totally destructed. When treated with lactic acid bacteria together, the toxic effect of bisphenol A was clearly decreased. This study indicated that bisphenol A was toxic in any concentration especially for the liver and testis, however, lactic acid bacteria could suppress the toxic effects of bisphenol A.

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2003.04a
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• pp.118.1-118.1
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• 2003

A growing body of scientific research indicates that man-made chemicals (xenobiotics) may interfere with the normal functioning of endocrine, or hormone systems. These endocrine disruptors may cause a variety of problems with development, behavior, and reproduction. Amongst the xenobiotics the World Health Organization classed 2, 3, 7, 8-TCDD as a "known" human carcinogen. (omitted)

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.403-406
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• 2004

Environmental endocrine disruptors (EDs) are toxic, hormone-like chemicals which can be found in our normal daily life. We have examined if EDs can inhibit the monocellular microorganisms such as lactic acid bacteria or if the growth of lactic acid bacteria could be resistant to the endocrine disruptors. We have used Lactobacillus paracasei subsp. paracasei (KCTC No. 3165) as an experimental strain and bisphenol A, benzophenone and phenylphenol for the comparison purpose. Experiments included the evaluation of turbidity, absorbance and actual cell counts. We found that No.3165 was somewhat resistant to EDs naturally, however, high concentration of EDs could inhibit the growth of No. 3165 completely. Different EDs showed different spectrum of inhibit. This study should contribute to the development of more resistant lactic acid bacteria to EDs and to the development of functional fermented beverage.