Prostate as a target of endocrine disrupting chemicals: Relevance, pathways, assays

Prostate, the main accessory gland of the male reproductive system, is a critical but yet overlooked target for Endocrine Disruptors (EDs), affecting the male reproductive system. Prostate is essential for male fertility; indeed, the prostatic fluid is the main component of seminal fluid, which is essential for the activation and capacitation of sperm cells. Furthermore, the prostate is tightly regulated by androgen signaling and is an important site for endocrine-related tumorigenesis. The following systematic review assesses and discusses the available literature evidence regarding the use of the androgen-dependent human prostate cell line LNCaP, in which up- or down-regulation of androgen signaling is assessed by measuring a clinically relevant marker, the Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA). The data set is still limited: 30 articles, mainly dealing on natural substances and plant extracts, met the eligibility criteria. However, the results support the potential of the PSA assay testing on LNCaP cells in evaluating endocrine-related effects on prostate function as well as to identifying substances that may affect androgen-regulated pathways. Overall, the findings encourage further investigations with a broader range of substances with different modes of action.