Phthalates Impair Germ Cell Number in the Mouse Fetal Testis by an Androgen- and Estrogen-Independent Mechanism

Data from experiments conducted almost exclusively in the rat have established that some phthalates have deleterious effects on the fetal testis probably due to their antiandrogenic and/or estrogenic effects, but their mechanisms of action remain unknown. A recent study reported that phthalates also have deleterious effects on human fetal testis with germ cell number, but not steroidogenesis altered. Therefore, we used organ culture of fetal testes at different stages of development to analyze the direct effects of phthalates on both steroidogenesis and gonocyte development and to determine if the effects of MEHP on these functions reported in the rat can be extended to other mammalian species. We defined specific periods of sensitivity of the fetal mouse testis to MEHP for these two functions and showed that the effects of phthalates on steroidogenesis vary with the developmental stage. Conversely, the strong deleterious effects of phthalates on germ cells were constantly present during the active phases of gonocyte development and thus share no relationship with the steroidogenic status. Moreover, all the effects of phthalates were unchanged in testes from mice deficient for estrogen (ERαKO or ERβKO) or androgen (Tfm) receptors. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that phthalates impair mouse fetal germ cell number similarly to other mammalian species, but are neither estrogenic nor antiandrogenic molecules because their effects do not involve, directly or indirectly, ER or AR

Adverse effects of endocrine disruptors on the foetal testis development: focus on the phthalates.

There are great concerns about the increasing incidence of abnormalities in male reproductive function. Human sperm counts have markedly dropped and the rate of testicular cancer has clearly augmented over the past four decades. Moreover, the prevalence rates of cryptorchidism and hypospadias are also probably increasing. It has been hypothesized that all these adverse trends in male reproduction result from abnormalities in the development of the testis during foetal and neonatal life. Furthermore, many recent epidemiological, clinical and experimental data suggest that these male reproductive disorders could be due to the effects of xenobiotics termed endocrine disruptors, which are becoming more and more concentrated and prevalent in our environment. Among these endocrine disruptors, we chose to focus this review on the phthalates for different reasons: 1) they are widespread in the environment; 2) their concentrations in many human biological fluids have been measured; 3) the experimental data using rodent models suggesting a reprotoxicity are numerous and are the most convincing; 4) their deleterious effects on the in vivo and in vitro development and function of the rat foetal testis have been largely studied; 5) some epidemiological data in humans suggest a reprotoxic effect at environmental concentrations at least during neonatal life. However, the direct effects of phthalates on human foetal testis have never been explored. Thus, as we did for the rat in the 1990s, we recently developed and validated an organ culture system which allows maintenance of the development of the different cell types of human foetal testis. In this system, addition of 10-4 M MEHP (mono-2-ethylhexyl phthalate), the most produced phthalate, had no effect on basal or LH-stimulated production of testosterone, but it reduced the number of germ cells by increasing their apoptosis, without modification of their proliferation. This is the first experimental demonstration that phthalates alter the development of the foetal testis in humans. Using our organotypic culture system, we and others are currently investigating the effect of MEHP in the mouse and the rat, and it will be interesting to compare the results between these species to analyse the relevance of toxicological tests based on rodent models

Concerns about the widespread use of rodent models for human risk assessments of endocrine disruptors.

International audienceFetal testis is a major target of endocrine disruptors (EDs). During the last 20 years, we have developed an organotypic culture system that maintains the function of the different fetal testis cell types and have used this approach as a toxicological test to evaluate the effects of various compounds on gametogenesis and steroidogenesis in rat, mouse and human testes. We named this test rat, mouse and human fetal testis assay. With this approach, we compared the effects of six potential EDs ((mono-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP), cadmium, depleted uranium, diethylstilboestrol (DES), bisphenol A (BPA) and metformin) and one signalling molecule (retinoic acid (RA)) on the function of rat, mouse and human fetal testis at a comparable developmental stage. We found that the response is similar in humans and rodents for only one third of our analyses. For instance, RA and MEHP have similar negative effects on gametogenesis in the three species. For another third of our analyses, the threshold efficient concentrations that disturb gametogenesis and/or steroidogenesis differ as a function of the species. For instance, BPA and metformin have similar negative effects on steroidogenesis in human and rodents, but at different threshold doses. For the last third of our analyses, the qualitative response is species specific. For instance, MEHP and DES affect steroidogenesis in rodents, but not in human fetal testis. These species differences raise concerns about the extrapolation of data obtained in rodents to human health risk assessment and highlight the need of rigorous comparisons of the effects in human and rodent models, when assessing ED risk

Effets et mécanismes d'action du Mono (2-ethylhexyl) phtalate (MEHP) sur le développement du testicule foetal et neonatal de souris in vitro

PARIS7-Bibliothèque centrale (751132105) / SudocSudocFranceF

Antagonistic effects of gestational dietary exposure to low-dose vinclozolin and genistein on rat fetal germ cell development

International audienceContinuous, low-dose exposure to a phytoestrogen (1 mg/kg/day genistein) and/or to an antiandrogenic food contaminant (1 mg/kg/day vinclozolin) has been recently reported to affect male reproductive tract and fertility [1] in adults. We investigated whether alterations of the testis are already present at the end of in utero exposure using the same rat model and doses following exposure from conception to delivery. After vinclozolin exposure, we observed in the neonate a slight but significant alteration of steroidogenesis and gametogenesis with a reduction of testosterone secretion and of the number of gonocytes. In contrast, genistein exposure had no effect. While the vinclozolin-genistein mixture acts in a synergistic manner to induce the most significant alterations in the adult, interestingly, genistein antagonized the deleterious effect of vinclozolin on germ cells in the neonate. This difference emphasizes the importance of studying the effects of endocrine disruptors during various developmental stages to understand their effects

Adverse effects of endocrine disruptors on the foetal testis development: focus on the phthalates.

There are great concerns about the increasing incidence of abnormalities in male reproductive function. Human sperm counts have markedly dropped and the rate of testicular cancer has clearly augmented over the past four decades. Moreover, the prevalence rates of cryptorchidism and hypospadias are also probably increasing. It has been hypothesized that all these adverse trends in male reproduction result from abnormalities in the development of the testis during foetal and neonatal life. Furthermore, many recent epidemiological, clinical and experimental data suggest that these male reproductive disorders could be due to the effects of xenobiotics termed endocrine disruptors, which are becoming more and more concentrated and prevalent in our environment. Among these endocrine disruptors, we chose to focus this review on the phthalates for different reasons: 1) they are widespread in the environment; 2) their concentrations in many human biological fluids have been measured; 3) the experimental data using rodent models suggesting a reprotoxicity are numerous and are the most convincing; 4) their deleterious effects on the in vivo and in vitro development and function of the rat foetal testis have been largely studied; 5) some epidemiological data in humans suggest a reprotoxic effect at environmental concentrations at least during neonatal life. However, the direct effects of phthalates on human foetal testis have never been explored. Thus, as we did for the rat in the 1990s, we recently developed and validated an organ culture system which allows maintenance of the development of the different cell types of human foetal testis. In this system, addition of 10-4 M MEHP (mono-2-ethylhexyl phthalate), the most produced phthalate, had no effect on basal or LH-stimulated production of testosterone, but it reduced the number of germ cells by increasing their apoptosis, without modification of their proliferation. This is the first experimental demonstration that phthalates alter the development of the foetal testis in humans. Using our organotypic culture system, we and others are currently investigating the effect of MEHP in the mouse and the rat, and it will be interesting to compare the results between these species to analyse the relevance of toxicological tests based on rodent models

Increased CD271 expression by the NF-kB pathway promotes melanoma cell survival and drives acquired resistance to BRAF inhibitor vemurafenib

International audienceSpecific BRAFV600E inhibitors (BRAFi) are highly effective in the treatment of melanoma. However, acquired drug resistances invariably develop after the initial response. Therefore, the identification of new mechanisms of acquired resistance gives important clues towards the development of therapies that could elicit long lasting responses. Here we report that CD271 confers resistance to BRAFi in melanoma cells. The expression of CD271 is increased by BRAFi through a stimulation of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα) secretion that leads to NF-κB signaling pathway activation. CD271 is upregulated in a subset of BRAFi-resistant melanoma cells. The inhibition of TNFα/NF-κB pathway and CD271 silencing restore the BRAFi sensitivity of resistant melanoma cells. Finally, increase of CD271 expression is validated in BRAFi-resistant xenografts tumors and also in tumors from the patients who relapsed under BRAFi. In summary, these results reveal a novel TNFα/NF-κB/CD271 axis whose activation contributes to the acquisition of resistance to BRAFi and therefore may represent a novel therapeutic target to improve the efficacy of therapy in melanoma

Inhibition of Melanogenesis by the Antidiabetic Metformin

International audienceSeveral reports have demonstrated the inhibitory effect of metformin, a widely used drug in the treatment of type 2 diabetes, on the proliferation of many cancers including melanoma. Recently, it has been shown that metformin is able to modulate the cAMP level in the liver. As cAMP has a crucial role in melanin synthesis and skin pigmentation, we investigated the effect of metformin on melanogenesis both in vitro and in vivo. We showed that metformin led to reduced melanin content in melanoma cells and in normal human melanocytes by decreasing cAMP accumulation and cAMP-responsive element-binding protein phosphorylation. This inhibitory effect is correlated with decreased expression of master genes of melanogenesis, microphthalmia-associated transcription factor, tyrosinase, dopachrome tautomerase, and tyrosinase-related protein 1. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the antimelanogenic effect of metformin is independent of the AMPK pathway. Interestingly, topical application of metformin induced tail whitening in mice. Finally, we confirmed the antimelanogenic effect of metformin on reconstituted human epidermis and on human skin biopsies. These data emphasize the depigmenting effect of metformin and suggest a clinical strategy for using metformin in the topical treatment of hyperpigmentation disorders

Effect of mono-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate on human and mouse fetal testis: In vitro and in vivo approaches

International audienceThe present study was conducted to determine whether exposure to the mono-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP) represents a genuine threat to male human reproductive function. To this aim, we investigated the effects on human male fetal germ cells of a 10−5 M exposure. This dose is slightly above the mean concentrations found in human fetal cord blood samples by biomonitoring studies. The in vitro experimental approach was further validated for phthalate toxicity assessment by comparing the effects of in vitro and in vivo exposure in mouse testes. Human fetal testes were recovered during the first trimester (7-12 weeks) of gestation and cultured in the presence or not of 10−5 M MEHP for three days. Apoptosis was quantified by measuring the percentage of Caspase-3 positive germ cells. The concentration of phthalate reaching the fetal gonads was determined by radioactivity measurements, after incubations with 14C-MEHP. A 10−5 M exposure significantly increased the rate of apoptosis in human male fetal germ cells. The intratesticular MEHP concentration measured corresponded to the concentration added in vitro to the culture medium. Furthermore, a comparable effect on germ cell apoptosis in mouse fetal testes was induced both in vitro and in vivo. This study suggests that this 10−5 M exposure is sufficient to induce changes to the in vivo development of the human fetal male germ cells