Animal Reproductive Biology Group

Frederick vom Saal

Professor
Biological Sciences

Phone: 573-882-4367
E-mail: VomsaalF@missouri.edu
Address: 114 Lefevre Hall

Education

Ph.D., Rutgers University

Research Focus

Fetal environment
Fetal sexual differentiation

Research Description

The central theme of vom Saal's research concerns the role that events during fetal life play in determining the characteristics of individuals in adulthood.

vom Saal's main program concerns the role of exposure to gonadal steroids (and chemicals that can mimic endogenous steroids, such as pesticides) during the fetal period of sexual differentiation in determining the functioning of the brain and reproductive organs throughout adulthood into old age.

In particular, he is focusing on the possibility that exposure to estrogen during fetal life can permanently increase the sensitivity of the prostate to testosterone via induction of prostate androgen receptors.

In addition, vom Saal is manipulating blood flow to fetuses (for example, by maternal ingestion of drugs such as cocaine) and then examining the consequences for postnatal development of individual fetuses with markedly different baseline rates of placental blood flow prior to maternal drug exposure.

Recent Publications

vom Saal FS, Hughes C.
An extensive new literature concerning low-dose effects of bisphenol A shows the need for a new risk assessment. Environ Health Perspect. 2005 Aug;113(8):926-33. PMID: 16079060
vom Saal FS, Nagel SC, Timms BG, Welshons WV.
Implications for human health of the extensive bisphenol A literature showing adverse effects at low doses: a response to attempts to mislead the public. Toxicology. 2005 Sep 1;212(2-3):244-52, author reply 253-4. No abstract available. PMID: 15975703
vom Saal FS, Richter CA, Mao J, Welshons WV.
Commercial animal feed: variability in estrogenic activity and effects on body weight in mice. Birth Defects Res A Clin Mol Teratol. 2005 Jul;73(7):474-5. No abstract available. PMID: 15959886
Timms BG, Howdeshell KL, Barton L, Bradley S, Richter CA, vom Saal FS.
Estrogenic chemicals in plastic and oral contraceptives disrupt development of the fetal mouse prostate and urethra. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2005 May 10;102(19):7014-9. Epub 2005 May 2. PMID: 15867144
vom Saal FS, Richter CA, Ruhlen RR, Nagel SC, Timms BG, Welshons WV.
The importance of appropriate controls, animal feed, and animal models in interpreting results from low-dose studies of bisphenol A. Birth Defects Res A Clin Mol Teratol. 2005 Mar;73(3):140-5. PMID: 15751043
Howdeshell KL, Peterman PH, Judy BM, Taylor JA, Orazio CE, Ruhlen RL, vom Saal FS, Welshons WV.
Bisphenol A is released from used polycarbonate animal cages into water at room temperature. Environ Health Perspect. 2003 Jul;111(9):1180-7. PMID: 12842771
Welshons WV, Thayer KA, Judy BM, Taylor JA, Curran EM, vom Saal FS.
Large effects from small exposures. I. Mechanisms for endocrine-disrupting chemicals with estrogenic activity. Environ Health Perspect. 2003 Jun;111(8):994-1006. Review. PMID: 12826473
Alworth LC, Howdeshell KL, Ruhlen RL, Day JK, Lubahn DB, Huang TH, Besch-Williford CL, vom Saal FS.
Uterine responsiveness to estradiol and DNA methylation are altered by fetal exposure to diethylstilbestrol and methoxychlor in CD-1 mice: effects of low versus high doses. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 2002 Aug 15;183(1):10-22. PMID: 12217638
A complete list of publications for FS vom Saal in PubMed