WIKIMEDIAAdditives known as endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) compromise male fertility by interfering with a membrane-bound calcium channel that normally controls motility of sperm cells, according to researchers in Germany and Denmark. EDCs are used in hundreds of household products—including toothpastes, sunscreens, cosmetics, plastic bottles, and toys—and scientists determined that they can cause fertility problems in previous studies. But a study published in the journal EMBO reports yesterday (May 12) is the first to posit a mechanism for how the chemical additives affect fertility in the human reproductive tract.
“For the first time, we have shown a direct link between exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals from industrial products and adverse effects on human sperm function,” study coauthor and Copenhagen University Hospital researcher Niels Skakkebaek said in a statement.
Skakkebaek and his colleagues tested 96 EDCs and found that about a third of them disrupted the function of an ion channel, called CatSper, in the membranes of sperm cells in vitro. EDCs, at concentrations typical for bodily fluids, added to human sperm opened CatSper channels, causing calcium to rush into the cells. This increased concentration of calcium ions changed the swimming behavior of the sperm, triggering the premature release of digestive enzymes that sperm need to breach the outer layers of egg cells. EDCs also ...
