Projects per year
Abstract / Description of output
The testicular dysgenesis syndrome (TDS) hypothesis, which proposes that common reproductive disorders of newborn and adult human males may have a common fetal origin, is largely untested. We tested this hypothesis using a rat model involving gestational exposure to dibutyl phthalate (DBP), which suppresses testosterone production by the fetal testis. We evaluated if induction of TDS via testosterone suppression is restricted to the “masculinization programming window” (MPW), as indicated by reduction in anogenital distance (AGD). We show that DBP suppresses fetal testosterone equally during and after the MPW, but only DBP exposure in the MPW causes reduced AGD, focal testicular dysgenesis, and TDS disorders (cryptorchidism, hypospadias, reduced adult testis size, and compensated adult Leydig cell failure). Focal testicular dysgenesis, reduced size of adult male reproductive organs, and TDS disorders and their severity were all strongly associated with reduced AGD. We related our findings to human TDS cases by demonstrating similar focal dysgenetic changes in testes of men with preinvasive germ cell neoplasia (GCNIS) and in testes of DBP-MPW animals. If our results are translatable to humans, they suggest that identification of potential causes of human TDS disorders should focus on exposures during a human MPW equivalent, especially if negatively associated with offspring AGD.
Original language | English |
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Article number | e91204 |
Number of pages | 20 |
Journal | JCI Insight |
Volume | 2 |
Issue number | 6 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 23 Mar 2017 |
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Dive into the research topics of 'Experimentally-induced ‘Testicular dysgenesis syndrome’ originates in the masculinization programming window'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Projects
- 2 Finished
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MRC Centre for Reproductive Health at the University of Edinburgh
12/09/16 → 11/09/22
Project: Research
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Testis development and function in relation to disorders of reproductive and general health in males
Sharpe, R.
1/10/11 → 30/09/16
Project: Research
Profiles
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Rod Mitchell
- Deanery of Clinical Sciences - Personal Chair of Developmental Endocrinology
- MRC Centre for Reproductive Health
Person: Academic: Research Active