Impact of endocrine disruptors on ovarian steroidogenesis

Production of steroid hormones by the ovary plays a key role in the female phenotype maintenance, as well as is critical for regular ovarian processes, including follicle growth, oocyte maturation and ovulation. Thus, optimal ovarian steroid synthesis is an indispensable requisite for the female reproductive health. In the past decades, along with an increased incidence of female reproductive disorders, an increasing concern for the potential reproductive impact of exogenous factors, particularly of environmental pollutants with endocrine disrupting properties, has risen. The scientific studies report that ovarian steroid hormone production is being recognized as an important target for the action of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). The fact that these chemicals have been detected in the biological samples of general population, and even directly in the follicular fluid of women, emphasizes the demands for testing the influence of EDCs on ovarian steroidogenesis. For these purposes, different methodological approaches have been employed, from in vivo studies on female rodents to in vitro experimental procedures using steroidogenically active follicular cells. In the present review, the effects of selected EDCs (pesticides, phthalate and phenol derivatives, and halogenated arylhydrocarbons) on the processes of ovarian steroidogenesis are summarized, and possible mechanisms of action of these agents are outlined.