Potential Endocrine Disrupting Effects of Phthalates in In Vitro and In Vivo Models

Thousands of new chemicals have been introduced to environment during last decades. Many of them and common consumer products have been shown to be the endocrine disrupting chemicals. One such chemical group is the phthalates, used in soft poly vinyl chloride (PVC) material and in a huge number of consumer products. The prevalence of these modem chemicals have a remarkable increase. Approximately 3.5 million tons of the main phthalate, di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), are produced annually worldwide and indeed, DEHP is considered a ubiquitous environmental contaminant. It has been demonstrated that high doses of phthalate can adversely affect adult and developing animals. In this review, we critically discuss the conclusions of recently original research papers and provide an overview of studies on reproductive disrupting effects of phthalates. In addition, we review the reproductive toxicity data of phthalates in some in vitro research and in both male and female reproductive systems in experimental and domestic animals. Finally, we point out some critical issues that should be addressed in order to clarify the implication of phthalates for human reproduction.