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Environmental Factors Impacting Reproductive and Perinatal Health

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 980

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, School of Public Health and Information Sciences, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40202, USA
Interests: reproductive epidemiology; genetic epidemiology of cardiovascular disease-related traits; gene-environment interactions; examination of genetic influences across populations; women's health; science education

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Insights regarding the impact of the environment on perinatal and reproductive health are still emerging. It has been established that chemicals, toxins, and pollutants can impact male and female fertility and the growing fetus, and can increase the risk of adverse birth outcomes. Environmental conditions are changing rapidly, so it is important that studies examine the effect of emerging environmental exposures on reproductive and perinatal health. We welcome papers that address current environmental concerns such as microplastics, air pollution, climate change, heavy metals, and contaminants of emerging concern (CECs), which can act as endocrine disruptors. We also welcome studies that examine reproductive phenotypes such as fecundability, hormone levels, menstrual function and other indicators of endocrine function in males and females, as well as papers that assess perinatal health and birth outcomes. Environmental factors do not act in a vacuum, and genetic susceptibility or resistance is important to consider. Hypothesis-driven gene–environment interaction studies are also welcome, in addition to studies that examine the epigenetic effects of environmental exposures. Studies conducted in vulnerable populations are also of particular interest. The aim of this Special Issue is to disseminate high-quality research that will enhance our understanding of the impact of our changing environment on reproductive and perinatal health.

Dr. Kira C. Taylor
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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Keywords

  • environmental pollutants
  • contaminants of emerging concern
  • reproductive health
  • fertility
  • fecundability
  • perinatal health
  • reproductive epidemiology
  • environmental epidemiology

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

9 pages, 1428 KiB  
Communication
Acute Exposure to Ozone Affects Circulating Estradiol Levels and Gonadotropin Gene Expression in Female Mice
by Dustin Rousselle and Patricia Silveyra
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2025, 22(2), 222; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22020222 - 5 Feb 2025
Viewed by 772
Abstract
Ozone, a critical air pollutant, has been shown to lead to systemic inflammation that can alter bodily functions, including hormone secretion, fertility, and the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal (HPG) axis. This study aimed to quantify changes in hormone production and follicle development after acute exposure to [...] Read more.
Ozone, a critical air pollutant, has been shown to lead to systemic inflammation that can alter bodily functions, including hormone secretion, fertility, and the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal (HPG) axis. This study aimed to quantify changes in hormone production and follicle development after acute exposure to ozone using an animal model to identify the potential mechanisms underlying the observed effects of air pollution exposures on fertility and hormone secretion. To accomplish this, regularly cycling 8-week-old female C57BL/6J mice were exposed to 2 ppm of ozone or filtered air (control) for 3 h on the day of proestrus. Blood, ovaries, brain tissues, and pituitary glands were collected at 4 h after exposure to evaluate hormone levels, ovarian follicle distribution, and gene expression. Ovaries were also harvested at 24 h post-exposure. We found that at 4 h after ozone exposure, mice had significantly higher (30%) circulating estradiol levels than mice exposed to filtered air. This effect was accompanied by a decrease in mRNA expression of gonadotropin genes (LH, FSH) and gonadotropin-releasing hormone in the pituitary gland. Analysis of ovarian tissue at 4 h and 24 h after exposure showed no significant changes in follicle composition or the expression of steroidogenesis genes. We conclude that acute ozone exposure affects sex hormone levels and disrupts the HPG axis. Future studies addressing chronic or long-term effects of air pollution exposure are needed to elucidate the mechanisms by which ambient ozone affects endocrine function. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Factors Impacting Reproductive and Perinatal Health)
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