Ethylene glycol and propylene glycol ethers – Reproductive and developmental toxicity

摘要

Both ethylene and propylene glycol alkyl ethers (EGAEs and PGAEs, respectively) are widely used, mainly as solvents, in industrialand household products. Some EGAEs demonstrate gonadotoxic, embriotoxic, fetotoxic and teratogenic effects in both humansand experimental animals. Due to the noxious impact of these ethers on reproduction and development of organisms EGAEsare replaced for considerably less toxic PGAEs. The data on the mechanisms of testicular, embriotoxic, fetotoxic and teratogeniceffects of EGAEs are presented in this paper. Our particular attention was focused on the metabolism of some EGAEs and theirorgan-specific toxicities, apoptosis of spermatocytes associated with changes in the expression of various genes that code for oxidativestress factors, protein kinases and nuclear hormone receptors. Med Pr 2015;66(5):725–737