Nonylphenol is one of endocrine disruptors, as structurally stable, hydrophobic compounds exhibit high condensability and long-lasting in the natural environment. The purpose of this study was to determine the toxic effects of nonylphenol on Daphnia magna. In acute toxicity test, D. magna was exposed for 48 h at concentrations of 0, 10, 18, 32, 56 and 100 μg L-1 nonylphenol. In chronic toxicity test, D. magna were exposed through water for 21 days at concentrations of 0, 1.0, 1.8, 3.2, 5.6 and 10 μg L-1 nonylphenol. Acute toxicity was assessed on the basis of immobility, while chronic toxicity was assessed on the basis of fecundity. The acute toxicity test on nonylphenol was showed that the values of 24 h and 48 h EC50 were 25.0 μg L-1 and 13.7 μg L-1, respectively. In chronic test, fecundity was reduced significantly at 5.6 μg L-1 of nonylphenol. These results indicated that nonylphenol have some hazard for acute or chronic toxicity to freshwater invertebrate organism.

In mammals, the meiosis division in testes produces equal numbers of two different types of gametes: X chromosome-bearing sperm (X-spermatozoa) and Y chromosomebearing sperm (Y-spermatozoa), which have equal potential to fertilize the oocytes. Therefore, the expected 1: 1 sex ratio is observed. However, under some conditions like endocrine disruptors (EDs) exposure the sex ratio is deviated than the expected with more males or more females. And recently many hypotheses have been postulated to explain the mechanism of sex ratio deviation; however none of them introduced a proven experimental explanation. To solve this enigma, we hypothesized that the differences between X- and Y-spermatozoa survivability under specific conditions due to differences in their chromosome contents are the key leading to the sex ratio alteration. To examine our hypothesis, we combined two techniques; first, hypo-osmotic swelling (HOS) test that was applied to test viability of spermatozoa and second, fluorescence in situ hybridization that was applied on HOS-treated spermatozoa to define sex chromosome composition. In the present study, human spermatozoa were incubated with a group of EDs represent a widespread chemicals in the environment bisphenol A (BPA, 100 μM), nonylphenol (NP, 10 μg/ml), 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD, 2.5 μg/ml), genistein (Gen, 100 μM), and the following pesticides, dibromochloropropane (DBCP, 10 μg/ml), atrazine (Atraz, 500 μM), and diazinone (Diaz, 500 μM) for 6 hr at 37℃ in 5% CO2. Then, the viability of spermatozoa and their sex chromosome contents were evaluated simultaneously. Among seven chemicals studied only four chemicals (Atraz, DBCP, TCDD, and Diaz) significantly decreased Y-sperm viability when compared to those of X-spermatozoa in the same treatment group and viability of Y-spermatozoa when compared to those in the negative and positive (DMSO) control groups (p<0.05). Also, in these four treatment groups the sex ratio of live sperm population was significantly lowered compared to the control groups (p<0.05). Otherwise, Gen, BPA, and NP did not show any significant effect on viability of Yspermatozoa or decreasing sex ratio in live sperm population as compared to the control groups. It has been proven that TCDD, DBCP, and the pesticides decrease the sex ratio, but the same effect was not observed in case of Gen, BPA, and NP. From the present findings, there is no doubt that the EDs may alter sex ratio via decreasing Y-spermatozoa viability.

In the last few decades with the industrial revolution many environmental contaminants have estrogenic activity (endocrine disruptors, EDs) are released into the environment affecting the male reproductive system and male fertility. Sperm motility is one of the initial tests performed to assess sperm function; only motile sperm can achieve fertilization in vivo. The present study aimed to investigate the possible effects of a group of EDs that represent a widespread chemicals in the environment genistein (Gen), is a naturally occurring isoflavone (100 μM), bisphenol A (BPA), that is used in the manufacture of plastics and other products and released largely into the environment (100 μM), nonylphenol (NP) is an important environmental toxicant and potential endocrine disrupting chemical (10 μg/ml), TCDD, that is formed as an unwanted by-product in the manufacture of chlorinated hydrocarbons (2.5 μg/ml), atrazine (Atraz) is a herbicides (500 μM), dibromochloropropane (DBCP) is a pesticide (10 μg/ml), and diazinone (Diaz) is a insecticide (500 μM) on human sperm motility and kinematic characteristics. Human spermatozoa were incubated in Ham's F10 media with/without the tested chemicals or DMSO as positive control for 6 hr at 37℃ in 5% CO2. Then, sperm motility was assessed using computer assisted semen analyzer. Interestingly, all the chemicals tested significantly decreased sperm motility as compared to the control groups. However, only Diaz significantly decreased sperm kinematic characteristics namely, VCL, VSL, STR, VAP, and ALH. We suggest that the environmental chemicals may have an effect on male fertility via decreasing sperm motility.

This study was carried out to investigate the current status of suspected endocrine disrupting pesticides among the agricultural products in northern area of Seoul in 2007. 3,026 samples was analyzed by multiresidue method. Detected Pesticide in 11 cases were procymidone, endosulfan, chlorothalonil, chlorpyrifos, cyermethrin, fenvalerate, hexaconazole, carbendazim, pendimethalin, permethrin, parathion and exceeded 7 cases of endosulfan, procymidone, carbendazim, chlorothalonil, chlorpyrifos, cypermethrin, fenvalerate in the maximum residue limits(MRLs). Procymidone, endosulfan, chlorothalonil and chlorpyrifos comprised up to 80.5% in detected pesticides. Among the 321 cases of detected agricultural products, 287 cases(89.4%) were vegetables, 25 cases (7.8%) were fruits, Others were 9 cases(2.8%).

Although many studies have focused on the biological and toxicological effects of phenol products, in particular, in reproductive tracts, the data about their effects in this estrogenic responsive tissue are much less clear. In addition, the in vitro and in vivo data concerning ED-adverse impacts in other endocrine organs, i.e. pituitary gland, are not understood well either. Thus, a further study is needed for providing a new insight into possible impacts of estrogenic EDs including phenol products in humans and wildlife. A combination of in vitro and in vivo system for examining EDs may bring better understanding into the regulatory mechanisms underlying EDs-induced events. In addition, this information may support for developing optimal screening methods of estrogenic EDs, in particular, phenol products.

Diethyl phthalate (DEP) and nonylphenol (NP) are widely spread in the natural environment as an endocrine disruption chemicals (EDs). Therefore, in this study, ultrasound (US) and ultraviolet (UVC), including TiO2, as advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) were applied to a DEP and NP contaminated solution. When only the application of US, the optimum frequency for significant DEP degradation and a high rate of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) formation was 283 kHz. We know that the main mechanism of DEP degradation is radical reaction and, NP can be affected by both of radical reaction and pyrolysis through only US (sonolysis) process and combined US+UVC (sonophotolysis) process. At combined AOPs (sonophotolysis/sonophotocatalysis) such as US+UVC and US+UVC+TiO2, significant degradation of DEP and NP were observed. Enhancement effect of sonophotolysis and sonophotocatalysis system of DEP and NP were 1.68/1.38 and 0.99/1.17, respectively. From these results, combined sonophotocatalytic process could be more efficient system to obtain a significant DEP and NP degradation.

일부 식물성 에스트로겐(phytoestrogen)의 경우, 긍정적인 효과를 갖는 것으로 보이지만, 대부분의 내분비계 장애 물질(endocrine disruptor 또는 endocrine disrupting compound, EDC)은 노출된 개체의 내분비계를 교란시켜 인간이나 야생 동물의 건강에 해로운 것으로 알려져 있다. 선행 연구에서 본 연구자들은 사춘기 전에 단기간으로 식물성 에스트로겐인 genistein(GS)을 투여했을 때 암컷 흰쥐의 생식계가

내분비계 장애물질은 다양한 동물의 생식과 배아의 발생에 위해한 영향을 미친다고 보고되었다. 이러한 초기 배아의 비정상 발생 중 대표적인 것이 할구파편이다. 본 연구에서는 착상 전 생쥐 초기 배아를 PCB, BPA, DDT에 체내, 체외에서 각각 노출시켰다. 내분비계 장애 물질에 노출시켰던 배아는 할구파편, 불규칙한 할구와 깨짐, 일부 파괴된 투명대 배아 등의 다양한 형태학적 비정상 양상을 보였다. 착상 전 생쥐 초기배아의 세포괴사에 관여하는 유전자를 조

환경에 방출되어 있는 많은 내분비교란물질들은 사람과 동물의 내분비계에 교란을 일으킬 수 있는 잠재력을 가진다. 뇌의 성분화는 생식소 호르몬 영향하에 비가역적으로 진행되며 흰쥐의 경우 이 시기는 임신말기에서 생후 7∼10일 가량이다. 최근에 본 연구진은 횐쥐의 뇌 성 분화의 결정적인 시기에 발현되는 KAP3유전자를 클로닝하였다 (Choi ＆ Lee, 1999). KAP3의 기능은 신경세포를 포함한 세포에서 aronal tansport를 조절하는 것으로 알