Reproductive and Developmental Toxicity of Environmental Factors

Dear Colleagues,

Developmental periods are highly sensitive to various environmental factors, including environmental pollutants, nutrients, and other stressors. The developing heart and brain are particularly vulnerable to these influences, making early life a critical window for assessing toxic exposures. Environmental contaminants can also compromise reproductive capability. Understanding the reproductive and developmental toxicity of environmental factors is essential for evaluating their impact on human health and ecosystems, as well as for effective risk assessment and management.

In the Special Issue “Reproductive and Developmental Toxicity of Environmental Factors”, we aim to explore the incidence, effects, and mechanisms of environmental factors on fertility and prenatal/postnatal development. We invite you to submit high-quality original research papers, short communications, and reviews on the reproductive and developmental toxicity of environmental agents. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Reproductive and developmental toxicity mechanisms of traditional or emerging contaminants;
2. The impact of environmental factors on fertility and reproductive health;
3. The relationship between maternal exposure to environmental factors and abortion or congenital diseases;
4. Protective and intervention strategies against the reproductive and developmental toxicity of environmental factors.

Dr. Tao Chen
Prof. Dr. Jisheng Nie
Prof. Dr. Jie Zhang
Guest Editors

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.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Toxics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• reproductive and developmental toxicity
• environmental pollutants
• risk assessment
• environmental epidemiology
• protective and intervention strategies

Title: The roles and mechanisms of nr1d1 in anxiety-like behavior induced by BPA in zebrafish larvae
Authors: Mingjun Wu; Ying Wu; Pinyi Chen; Zhanjun Lu; Yuting Wang; Xinwei Wang; Xiaoyao Song; Jie Zhang
Affiliation: a Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou, China b Department of Child and Adolescent Healthcare, Children’s Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215025, Jiangsu, PR China c Department of Gastroenterology, Shanghai General Hospital * Jie Zhang and Xiaoyao Song were Co-Corresponding authors.  [email protected]; [email protected]. 1 Ming-jun Wu, Ying Wu, Pinyi Chen contributed equally to this paper
Abstract: Anxiety disorder is characterized by intense feelings of anxiety and fear. It is currently believed that exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in early life environments is closely related to the onset of anxiety disorders. Bisphenol A (BPA), as a common EDC, has been associated with anxiety-like behavior in zebrafish larvae, though the exact mechanism remains unclear. In this study, zebrafish embryos were exposed to a 25 μmol/L BPA solution. Behavioral assays revealed that BPA exposure led to anxiety-like behavior in zebrafish larvae. Through transcriptome sequencing and bioinformatics analysis, circadian rhythm assessments, dopamine system biomarker measurements, inflammation biomarker assays, and astrocyte function evaluations, it was found that BPA inhibits the core clock gene nr1d1 negative regulation of the inflammatory factors IL-6 and IL-1β. This inhibition increases the transcription levels of these inflammatory factors, activates astrocytes, induces brain inflammation, disrupts the dopamine system, and ultimately results in anxiety-like behavior in zebrafish larvae. This study uses zebrafish larvae as a model organism to explore the role and mechanism of the clock gene nr1d1 in BPA-induced anxiety-like behavior from transcriptomic, behavioral, and molecular biology perspectives. It provides new insights into the pathogenesis of anxiety disorders and potential targets for treatment.

Title: Air Pollution Exposure and Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Risk: A Multi-pollutant Analysis in Wuhan, Hubei province
Authors: Mengyang Dai; Jianfeng Liu; Min Hu; Feng Zhang; Yanjun Wang; Fangfang Dai; Rui Qu; Zhixiang Fang; Jing Yang
Affiliation: The State Key Laboratory of Information Engineering in Surveying, Mapping and Remote Sensing, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
Abstract: Ambient air pollution has been associated with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM); however, evidence regarding trimester-specific effects from China remains limited. This study analyzed data from pregnant women who delivered in Wuhan, China, between 2017 and 2022, integrating geographic information, air quality measurements, and maternal characteristics. Using Inverse Distance Weighting interpolation and Generalized Linear Mixed Models (GLMM), we assessed associations between air pollutant exposure and GDM across different gestational periods. Results indicated that NO₂ demonstrated the strongest association with GDM compared to other pollutants. Specifically, increased NO₂ exposure was consistently associated with higher GDM risk throughout pregnancy. PM₂.₅ exposure showed significant associations during early and mid-pregnancy, while SO₂ exposure was significantly associated with GDM risk exclusively in early pregnancy. Sensitivity analyses stratified by urban maternity status and maternal age revealed the stability of the study’s findings. These findings underscore the importance of reducing air pollution exposure during pregnancy and implementing targeted interventions for high-risk populations to prevent GDM development.