Effects and Mechanisms of Endocrine Disruptors on Germ Cells, Gonads and Embryos

Dear Colleagues,

Living organisms are inescapably exposed to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) of both industrial or natural production, which, by interfering with hormonal and metabolic processes, disrupt the development/homeostasis of tissues and organs at any time of an individual’s life.

A wealth of experimental and epidemiological studies demonstrated reproductive defects in both males and females, leading to infertility. EDCs have genotoxic effects and impair gene expression through epigenetic modifications (i.e., methylation of CpG sites, histone modifications and production of non-coding RNA). Besides direct effects on exposed organisms, trans-generational impairment of the reproductive ability in both sexes has been reported when the offspring is presented to EDCs during fetal and neonatal periods.

With this Special Issue, we aim to provide an important resource for understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the EDCs’ observed effects on vertebrate germ cells, gonads and embryos.

We welcome original research articles, reviews, commentary, perspectives and technical notes that, at the molecular, cellular and tissue hierarchical levels, describe the effects of EDCs on primordial germ cells, ovarian and testis function, folliculogenesis and spermatogenesis, oocyte and sperm quality, embryonic development either in vivo or in vitro. Also, welcome are articles describing the effects of EDCs in experimental models using cell lines, stem cells or organoids.

We look forward to your contributions.

Prof. Silvia Garagna
Prof. Dr. Maurizio Zuccotti
Dr. Danilo Cimadomo
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 communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Cells is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2700 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.