Abstract
Ovarian Toxicology, second edition, is a comprehensive review of xenobiotic effects on ovarian function. This second edition is an update of the previous publication published in 2004 and includes many newly discovered ovotoxicants as well as further development of ovarian toxicant mechanisms. Editor Patricia Hoyer is a well-respected professor at the University of Arizona with a specialty of xenobiotics on the ovary and has provided a thorough review of ovarian toxicity and cancer in this latest edition of her book on this highly specialized topic. She has assembled a group of 40 reproductive scientists from the United States, Korea, Canada, China, and Israel who are well known in their respective areas of expertise to provide an excellent update on ovarian toxicity.
The book has a similar format to that of the first edition; however, this edition significantly updates the research of ovotoxicants and highlights additional areas of new research. The book contains 15 chapters and is divided into 4 sections: (1) ovarian function, which provides an overview of normal ovarian physiology and the general types of disruptive exposures that can occur (chapters 1-5); (2) ovotoxic chemical classes, which discusses xenobiotics and effects by category (chapters 6-11); (3) ovarian cancer, which provides an in-depth discussion of the biology, etiology, and epidemiology of ovarian cancers (chapters 12-14); and (4) risk assessment, which reviews sample environmental and pharmacological agents known to show ovarian toxicity (chapter 15).
The ovarian function section is divided into 5 chapters including ovarian physiology, ovarian metabolism of xenobiotics, the brain as a target that alters ovarian function, xenobiotic-induced oxidative stress, and toxicity of preantral follicles. This section begins by providing an overview of normal ovarian physiology and subsequently delves into the activation and/or detoxification of various xenobiotics in chapter 1. Chapter 2 discusses the biotransformation process as it applies to ovarian toxicity while chapter 3 reviews the various targets within the brain that can be altered by toxicants disrupting the neuroendocrine axis, which also have the potential of disrupting the ovarian cycle of reproduction. The role and importance of reactive oxygen species in fetal ovarian toxicity is examined in chapter 4. This section concludes with chapter 5 that details the current status of indirect disruption of endocrine balance via chemical destruction of small preantral follicles, which is a significant health risk associated with menopause.
The second section of the book covers the general classes of ovarian toxicants (ovotoxic chemical classes) including a chapter on pesticides (chapter 6). Chapter 7 reviews the current status of endocrine disruptors on ovarian function. The effects of phthalates on ovarian follicle and oocyte development are covered in chapter 8. The effects of metals and their mechanisms of action are discussed in chapter 9. Effects of cigarette smoke and bisphenol A are covered in chapters 9 and 10, respectively.
Section 3 is entitled ovarian cancer. Chapter 12 concentrates on the effects of exogenous hormones on the initiation and progression of ovarian cancer. Various chemotherapeutic mechanisms and signaling pathways including functional food compounds are elucidated in chapter 13. The current physiological, etiological, and epidemiological research on ovarian cancer is discussed in chapter 14.
Section 4 is risk assessment and is covered by a single chapter (chapter 15) that describes assessment of ovarian toxicity with respect to environmental toxins as well as pharmaceuticals in preclinical development. The chapter provides a basic review of Environmental Protection Agency and Food and Drug Administration regulatory issues as well as several examples of chemicals that have demonstrated ovarian toxicity with respect to assessing human risk of xenobiotic exposures.
On balance, Ovarian Toxicology, second edition, is a one of a kind text in that the editor has assembled much of the current research on the ovary as well as the various theories of the mechanism of action in a logical and easy-to-read format. I found the book to be thorough yet readily searchable. The chapters are outlined and clearly written, which makes this an excellent reference text. There are virtually no other current titles available which capture this quantity and depth of analyses on ovarian toxicity. Therefore, I highly recommend this book to toxicologists and pathologists involved in assessing the toxic effects of chemicals on the ovary in academic, industrial, and regulatory areas of practice.