Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 1 of 1
Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences
Urinary Estrogen Metabolites And Self-Reported Infertility In Women Infected With Schistosoma Haematobium, Julio Santos, Maria Joao Gouveia, Nuno Vale, Maria De Lurdes Delgado, Ana Goncalves, Gabriel Rinaldi, Paul J. Brindley, +10 Additional Authors
Urinary Estrogen Metabolites And Self-Reported Infertility In Women Infected With Schistosoma Haematobium, Julio Santos, Maria Joao Gouveia, Nuno Vale, Maria De Lurdes Delgado, Ana Goncalves, Gabriel Rinaldi, Paul J. Brindley, +10 Additional Authors
Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine Faculty Publications
Background
Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease, endemic in 76 countries, that afflicts more than 240 million people. The impact of schistosomiasis on infertility may be underestimated according to recent literature. Extracts of Schistosoma haematobium include estrogen-like metabolites termed catechol-estrogens that down regulate estrogen receptors alpha and beta in estrogen responsive cells. In addition, schistosome derived catechol-estrogens induce genotoxicity that result in estrogen-DNA adducts. These catechol estrogens and the catechol-estrogen-DNA adducts can be isolated from sera of people infected with S. haematobium. The aim of this study was to study infertility in females infected with S. haematobium and its …