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BIOMARKERS FOR ASSESSING REPRODUCTIVE DEVELOPMENT AND HEALTH: PART 1 - PUBERTAL DEVELOPMENT
Citation:
Rockett, J C., C. D. LYNCH, AND G. M. BUCK. BIOMARKERS FOR ASSESSING REPRODUCTIVE DEVELOPMENT AND HEALTH: PART 1 - PUBERTAL DEVELOPMENT. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 112(1):105-112, (2004).
Impact/Purpose:
This paper is written on behalf of the Fertility and Early Pregnancy Working Group of the National Children's Study.
Description:
The proposed National Children?s Study has helped raise awareness of the issues related to children?s health and the importance of monitoring the growth and development of children from preconception through to adulthood. Many genetic predispositions can adversely impact the normal development process, and various environmental exposures have been linked to adverse reproductive health in rodent models and a small number of accidental human exposures. In order to monitor reproductive health and identify adverse effects at the earliest possible juncture, it is necessary to develop a network of biomarkers covering all stages and aspects of reproductive development and function. Biomarkers are biological indicators that can be repeatably measured in some way, and are informative on one or more aspects of biological development or function. They can range from the anatomical level down to the molecular level, and may provide information on the nature of an exposure, the effect of an exposure, or the susceptibility of individuals or populations to the toxic effects of an exposure. In theory, biomarkers can be used to monitor a wide variety of conditions and responses, ranging from abnormal development to early indicators of late-onset disease. The main stumbling block with this theory has been finding appropriate biomarkers for particular conditions and exposures. Such biomarkers must be easily accessible, robust and sensitive. Ideally, they will be expressed across a large section of the population, and can be monitored quickly, easily, conveniently, and with minimal cost. In this review, we discuss some of the current and emerging biomarkers of human pubertal development.