• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2002.10a
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• pp.283.1-283.1
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• 2002

The adverse health effects on humans and domestic and wildlife species by exposing to environmental contaminants. which interact with the endocrine system. have he en treated as an important issue without hesitation throughout the 1990s. The chemicals with practical and/or potential interfering actions with the endocrine system functions are called endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). (omitted)

• Environmental Mutagens and Carcinogens
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.259-265
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• 2002

Phthalate analogues are a plasticizer and solvent used in industry. Phthalates were reported to be a potential carcinogen classified in the category of suspected endocrine disruptors. Most common human exposure to these compounds may occur with contaminated food. They may migrate into food from plastic wrap or may enter food from general environmental contamination. Since these substances are not limited to the original products, and enter the environment, they have become widespread environmental pollutants, thus leading to a variety of phthalates that possibly threaten the public health. Concern about their use has been mounting. To screen and elucidate the endocrine disrupting activity and their mechanism of phthalate analogues, first of all, E-screen assay was performed in MCF7 human breast cancer cells with seven phthalate analogues. In this cell proliferation assay, only dibutyl phthalate (DBP) showed weak estrogenic activity. Also the yeast-based transcription assay to assess the interactions of DBP with the estrogen, androgen, and progesterone receptors was conducted. DBP in the concentration ranges from 10$^{-16}$ to 10$^{-11}$ M was active in the estrogen transcriptional assay, but it did not show the effect on $\beta$-galactosidase activity in the progesterone and androgen transcriptional assays. These data indicate that DBP shows estrogenic potential and can be classified as weak and/or suspected endocrine disrupting chemicals.

• Proceedings of the Zoological Society Korea Conference
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• 2001.04a
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• pp.98.2-98
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• 2001

No Abstract, See Full Text

• Toxicological Research
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.27-31
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• 2000

Recently, there is a worldwide concern that a great number of man-made chemicals have a hormone-like action both in humans and in animals. EPA and OECD are developing screening programs using validated test systems to determine whether certain substances may have an effect on humans. In the present study, the establishment of in vivo short-term test system for pubertal female assay with thyroid to detect endocrine disrupting chemicals was tried using a model substance, methoxychlor (MC), a chlorinated hydrocarbon insencticide. Forty female rats were assigned to four groups. MC was administered at dose levels of 0, 8, 40 and 200mg/kg by gavage to female rats from day 21 post partum to the completion of vaginal opening. We evaluated body weight change, age at vaginal opening, onset of estrous cyclicity, age at first esturs, ovary weight, and serum concentrations of thyroxine and thyroid stimulating hormone in female rats. The age at vaginal opening of females receiving 40 200mg/kg was significantly younger than control. The onset of estrus cyclicity and age at first estrus of females receiving 200mg/kg was also younger than controls. There was no effect of treatment on body weight, ovary weight, and hormone concentration. Based on these results, it can be concluded that application of MC at dose level of 40mg/kg affects the vaginal opening and application of MC at dose level of 200mg/kg accelerates the vaginal opening and the onset of estrus cylicity.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.11 no.7
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• pp.377-387
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• 2020

This study is a retrospective and descriptive research to identify the factors affecting development of spontaneous abortion in women of childbearing age. The subjects totaled 198 females aged 20~45 who had experienced childbirth or spontaneous abortion at least once, and data was collected for one month since July 2019 through self-reporting questionnaires. The results showed that the factors affecting development of spontaneous abortion were use of panty liners (daily: reference, 1~2 times a week: B=-1.74, no: B=-0.77) and antimicrobials (often or a lot: reference, small or normal: B=-0.71, no: B=0.79), occupational groups (inoccupation: reference, service industry employee: B=0.73, white collar: B=1.22, professional: B=0.63, manager: B=1.54), and exposure-risk behavior toward endocrine-disrupting chemicals (B=0.81) during pregnancy, and their explanatory power for development of spontaneous abortion was 24.4% (R²=.24). As a result, it is necessary to prevent endocrine-disrupting chemicals exposure and pay attention to the occupational environment during pregnancy in order to reduce the development of spontaneous abortion.

• 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.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.297-304
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• 2011

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are a class of "brominated" (bromine containing) man-made chemicals used as flame retardant additives in plastics, foams, and textiles. PBDEs are found in various environmental contaminants in air, soil, sediment, and water, and 209 individual forms (congeners) of PBDE exist. Among these, 2,2',4,4'-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-47) is the dominant congener found in the environment. Exposure to BDE-47 is now worldwide, and levels of BDE-47 have been detected in the blood of animals, including humans. BDE-47 can adversely affect the developmental system in both humans and animals. BDEs have structural similarities to polychlorinated biphenyls and thyroid hormones. However, recent studies have shown that BDEs may act as hormonal disrupting chemicals with detrimental effects. Therefore, a reliable assessment of BDE-47 toxicological action is required to understand the detrimental impacts of BDE-47 on human health. In this review, we overview recent studies on the distribution and potential toxicological effects of BDE-47 in humans and animals.

• Proceedings of the Zoological Society Korea Conference
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• 2003.08a
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• pp.174.2-174
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• 2003

No Abstract, See Full Text

• Proceedings of the Korea Society of Environmental Toocicology Conference
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• 2003.05a
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• pp.195-195
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• 2003

It is well known that diesel exhaust particulate matter contains mutagenic PAHs, such as benzo[${\alpha}$]pyrene, benz[${\alpha}$]anthracene, chrysene, etc. Therefore it is suspected that these chemicals act on estrogen receptor and reveal endocrine-disrupting effects. Recent attention has focused on causative chemicals of endocrine-disrupting effects. We examined the estrogenic activity of respirable diesel exhaust particulate matter derived from diesel powered vehicle. PM2.5 diesel exhaust of vehicle was collected using a high volume sampler equipped with a cascade impactor. Diesel exhaust samples were fractionated according to EPA methods. The presence of estrogenic and antiestrogenic chemicals in PM 2.5 diesel exhaust was determined using E-screen assay. To quantitatively assess the estrogenic and antiestrogenic activities in diesel exhaust particulate matter, estradiol equivalent concentration (bio-EEQ) was calculated by comparing the concentration response curve of the sample with those of the estrogen calibration curve. Weak estrogenic activities and strong antiestrogenic activities were detected in the crude extract and moderately polar fractions. Higher antiestrogenic potency was observed with higher EROD activities in aliphatic and aromatic compounds fraction. In conclusion, estrogenic/antiestrogenic-like activities were present in diesel exhaust particulate matter. However, the health consequences of this observation was unknown, the presence of these activities may contribute to and exacerbate adverse health effect evoked by diesel exhaust particulate matter.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.51-56
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• 2001

To evaluate the arsenic effect of fish endocrine disruption, crucian carp (Carassius auratus) were treated with 0.5 mg/L and 3.0 mg/L of As$_2$O$_3$ for 14 days and gonadal development was examined by histological analysis. In ovaries from female crucial carps exposed to 3.0 mg/L, immature follicles and atretic follicles were appeared while various normal developmental stages of oocytes were shown in control group. Body weight and Gonadosomatic Index (GSI) of treated carp were also decreased compared to control group. However, no other significant histological changes in liver or kidney were shown in this exposure scheme. This means that reproductive organs are more sensitive than other organs and arsenic may exert endocrine disrupting effect through inhibiting the development of reproductive organ in fish.