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Review
. 2021 Nov 8;10(11):3079.
doi: 10.3390/cells10113079.

Review: Mechanisms of Glyphosate and Glyphosate-Based Herbicides Action in Female and Male Fertility in Humans and Animal Models

Loïse Serra  1 , Anthony Estienne  1 , Claudine Vasseur  2 , Pascal Froment  1 , Joëlle Dupont  1
Affiliations
Review

Review: Mechanisms of Glyphosate and Glyphosate-Based Herbicides Action in Female and Male Fertility in Humans and Animal Models

Loïse Serra et al. Cells. .

Abstract

Glyphosate (G), also known as N-(phosphonomethyl)glycine is the declared active ingredient of glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs) such as Roundup largely used in conventional agriculture. It is always used mixed with formulants. G acts in particular on the shikimate pathway, which exists in bacteria, for aromatic amino acids synthesis, but this pathway does not exist in vertebrates. In recent decades, researchers have shown by using various animal models that GBHs are endocrine disruptors that might alter reproductive functions. Our review describes the effects of exposure to G or GBHs on the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis in males and females in terms of endocrine disruption, cell viability, and proliferation. Most of the main regulators of the reproductive axis (GPR54, GnRH, LH, FSH, estradiol, testosterone) are altered at all levels of the HPG axis (hypothalamus, pituitary, ovaries, testis, placenta, uterus) by exposure to GBHs which are considered more toxic than G alone due to the presence of formulants such as polyoxyethylene tallow amine (POEA)." In addition, we report intergenerational impacts of exposure to G or GBHs and, finally, we discuss different strategies to reduce the negative effects of GBHs on fertility.

Keywords: endocrine disruptors; fertility; glyphosate; hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis; roundup; steroidogenesis.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Summary of the effects of G or R on hypothalamus-pituitary-gonads axis. Green arrows mean activation and red arrows mean inhibition. Numbering in brackets indicates references.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Scheme summering the effects of G or R on female fertility. GC: granulosa cells; EC: endometrial cells; ER: endoplasmic reticulum; M: mitochondria; N: nucleus. Green arrows mean activation and red arrows mean inhibition. Numbering in brackets indicates references.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Scheme summering the effects of G or R on male fertility described in the literature. LC: Leydig cells; ST: seminiferous tube; SC: Sertoli cells. Green arrows mean activation and red arrows mean inhibition. Numbering in brackets indicates references.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Summary of G or R in vivo and in vitro effects observed on spermatogenesis in different species. Numbering in brackets indicates references.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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