Organotin Exposure and Vertebrate Reproduction: A Review

Abstract

Organotin (OTs) compounds are organometallic compounds that are widely used in industry, such as in the manufacture of plastics, pesticides, paints, and others. OTs are released into the environment by anthropogenic actions, leading to contact with aquatic and terrestrial organisms that occur in animal feeding. Although OTs are degraded environmentally, reports have shown the effects of this contamination over the years because it can affect organisms of different trophic levels. OTs act as endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), which can lead to several abnormalities in organisms. In male animals, OTs decrease the weights of the testis and epididymis and reduce the spermatid count, among other dysfunctions. In female animals, OTs alter the weights of the ovaries and uteri and induce damage to the ovaries. In addition, OTs prevent fetal implantation and reduce mammalian pregnancy rates. OTs cross the placental barrier and accumulate in the placental and fetal tissues. Exposure to OTs in utero leads to the accumulation of lipid droplets in the Sertoli cells and gonocytes of male offspring in addition to inducing early puberty in females. In both genders, this damage is associated with the imbalance of sex hormones and the modulation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axis. Here, we report that OTs act as reproductive disruptors in vertebrate studies; among the compounds are tetrabutyltin, tributyltin chloride, tributyltin acetate, triphenyltin chloride, triphenyltin hydroxide, dibutyltin chloride, dibutyltin dichloride, diphenyltin dichloride, monobutyltin, and azocyclotin.

Emerging Contaminants In Indonesian Seafood From Industrial Emission And Their Health Hazards

“…Recent findings have shown biologically significant effect of organotins in human blood samples from the USA, and Finland, as well as in human liver from Poland (Barbosa, Ferrão, & Graceli, 2018). Several investigations have revealed that seafood is the primary source of human exposure to organotin compounds (de Araújo et al, 2018). This could be attributed to TBT leach from antifouling paints from commercial vessels and/or due to the persistence of TBT in sediments.…”

Tributyltin chloride (TBT) induces RXRA down-regulation and lipid accumulation in human liver cells

“…Here, we focused on the prototypical obesogen tributyltin chloride (TBT), a tin-containing chemical (in the organotin class, together with other tributyltin derivatives, [8,9]) that is used as fungicide and heat stabilizer in compositions of polyvinyl chloride, and, along with its metabolites, has been detected in human blood and liver [10,11]. TBT acts as an agonist for two nuclear hormone receptors (NRs), RXRA and PPARG, and, through changes in gene expression, stimulates adipogenesis by inducing their differentiation from pre-adipocytes and/or from mesenchymal stem cells [12–15].…”

Simultaneous determination of three organotin pesticides in fruits and vegetables by high‐performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry

“…Nowadays, OTCs are a diverse group of widely distributed environmental pollutants and regarded as one of the most toxic anthropogenic pollutants ever purposely introduced into the marine environment . The OTCs are classed as endocrine‐disrupting chemicals, which might be a significant risk to humans and living organisms . They are the most important cause of imposex in dogwhelk, oyster shell malformation and mussel larvae mortality, which has been described in more than one 100 marine species, even at very low concentrations in water (1–2 ng L −1 ) .…”