Environmental Threats to Human Reproduction

Environmental contaminants have increasingly affected humans negatively. They have been implicated in the aetiopathogenesis of cancer, obesity, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and infertility. The impact of environmental pollutants on human reproductive function has gained significant attention, stimulated in part by the remarkable damage inflicted by environmental pollutants that act as endocrine disrupting chemicals. Environmental endocrine disruptors have different mechanisms of action. They have been reported to act via classical nuclear receptors, oestrogen-related receptors, and membrane-bound oestrogen receptor, resulting in alteration of hormonal and homeostatic systems. Modulation of DNA methylation and histone modifications, genomic instability, and cross-talk between genomic and non-genomic pathways has also been shown to play significant roles.

Despite the reported harmful effects, humans remain constantly exposed to this highly heterogeneous group of molecules, which are found in plastics, pesticides, pharmaceutical and personal care products, and industrial solvents. Hence, it is pertinent to explore other mechanism of actions of these chemicals interfering with different hormonal pathways, and possible prophylactic and therapeutic measures in curtailing their attendant reproductive health consequences.

This thematic issue focuses on the impacts of environmental endocrine disruptors on human reproduction. Novel findings demonstrating the interference and bio-molecular mechanisms of environmental endocrine disruptors in the human reproductive system, and/or studies proposing new prophylactic and therapeutic horizons in the management of environmental endocrine disruptor-induced infertility would be prioritized. Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:

i. Identification of novel environmental endocrine disruptors
ii. Role of environmental endocrine disruptors in infertility
iii. Environmental endocrine disruptors and reproductive immunology
iv. Environmental endocrine disruptors and genomic stability
v. Impact of environmental endocrine disruptors on prenatal life and development
vi. Impacts of environmental endocrine disruptors on epigenetic regulation
vii. Impact of nutraceuticals on environmental endocrine disruptors-induced infertility

Papers are published upon acceptance, regardless of the Thematic Issue publication date.