TitleEnvironmental PAH exposure and male idiopathic infertility: a review on early life exposures and adult diagnosis.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2017
AuthorsMadeen, EP, Williams, DE
JournalRev Environ Health
Volume32
Issue1-2
Pagination73-81
Date Published2017 Mar 01
ISSN2191-0308
KeywordsAdult, Environmental Exposure, Environmental Pollutants, Humans, Infertility, Male, Male, Middle Aged, Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, Young Adult
Abstract

The male reproductive system is acutely and uniquely sensitive to a variety of toxicities, including those induced by environmental pollutants throughout the lifespan. Early life hormonal and morphological development results in several especially sensitive critical windows of toxicity risk associated with lifelong decreased reproductive health and fitness. Male factor infertility can account for over 40% of infertility in couples seeking treatment, and 44% of infertile men are diagnosed with idiopathic male infertility. Human environmental exposures are poorly understood due to limited available data. The latency between maternal and in utero exposure and a diagnosis in adulthood complicates the correlation between environmental exposures and infertility. The results from this review include recommendations for more and region specific monitoring of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) exposure, longitudinal and clinical cohort considerations of exposure normalization, gene-environment interactions, in utero exposure studies, and controlled mechanistic animal experiments. Additionally, it is recommended that detailed semen analysis and male fertility data be included as endpoints in environmental exposure cohort studies due to the sensitivity of the male reproductive system to environmental pollutants, including PAHs.

DOI10.1515/reveh-2016-0045
Alternate JournalRev Environ Health
PubMed ID27935856
PubMed Central IDPMC5454023
Grant ListP01 CA090890 / CA / NCI NIH HHS / United States
P42 ES016465 / ES / NIEHS NIH HHS / United States
R13 ES026036 / ES / NIEHS NIH HHS / United States
T32 ES007060 / ES / NIEHS NIH HHS / United States