Expected Results

This section will be updated as results become available. 

Meanwhile, we expect that the outcomes of this study will allow the assessment of the nature and intensity of the reproductive responses to both selected compounds and complex mixtures. The direct impacts will be:  

1. Improved understanding of the efficiency of transfer to the foetus of ECs of different classes;
2. An increased knowledge of pathways (transcripts and proteins) affected by pollutants in female gametogenesis (mono-ovulating and poly-ovulating species). This will contribute to identification of genes which have an altered pattern of expression;
3. Definition of the period of gestation during which the female reproductive organ development and gametogenesis is the most sensitive to the disruptive effects of environmental contaminants;
4. Development of an in vitro test capable of evaluating cellular and molecular toxicity of pollutants on foetal ovaries.
5. Contribution to evaluation of the involvement of environmental pollutants in human female infertility and various pathologies. 

The main expected impacts are relevant to 3 main areas of EC-relevant issues:

1. Detailing of the risk assessment process;
2. Understanding the pathways for contaminants in the environment;
3. Understanding the fate, and concentrations of chemicals in tissues, in conjunction with assessment of their effects on reproductive development.