1. Sponsor Organization: NIH/NIEHS

2. Project Title: 06198-05 INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES IN REPRODUCTIVE TOXICOLOGY

3. Project Focus:

• Project Primary Focus: Human Health Effects
• Project Secondary Focus: Exposure Assessment

4. Description:

Although the utility of biomarkers in reproductive toxicology is now recognized and biomarkers are being applied by epidemiologists for surveillance of environmental hazards to women's reproductive health, there is still a lack of understanding of those specific agents or classes of agents which may affect female fertility and fetal development. There is also a lack of information on the mechanisms of female reproductive toxicity, even when potential hazards have been identified. This projects attempts: 1) to establish relevant experimental systems including whole animal models and in vitro cell and tissue cultures, which can be applied to gain better information on which environmental factors may cause female infertility, implantation failure and abnormal fetal development in humans; 2) to identify biological markers of altered function in the ovary, preimplantation embryo, fetus and reproductive tract which may be predictive of reproductive impairment resulting from exposure to an exogenous agent; 3) to utilize reproductive biomarkers for study of environmental toxicants and for definition of their mechanisms of action at the level of organ systems, and ultimately, at the cell and molecular level; and 4) to apply the results of animal studies to identify new biomarkers for human epidemiology, and to enable interpretation of data with existing biomarkers of reproductive effects in human populations.

5. References:

6. Inventory Category:

• Primary: Models
• Secondary:

7. Inventory Subcategory:

• Primary: Biomakers
• Secondary:
  • Hazard Identification

8. Keywords for Experimental System/Species:

• Species:
  • Mammal
  • Human
• Study Type:
  • In Vitro
• Fate and Transport:

9. Keywords for Experimental Endpoints:

• Health Effect:
  • Reproductive
• Hormonal Measures:
• Level Of Study:
  • Epidemiology
  • Molecular
• Chemistry Metabolism:
  • Tissue Residue
  • Exposure Monitoring
• Life Stage:
  • Female
  • Embryo
• Risk Assessment:

10. Chemical Agents:

11. Performing Institution:

• UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA DAVIS

12. Contact:

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