(Ph.D. - British Columbia)
Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour
1280 Main Street West
Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1
PC-314
PHONE: (905)525-9140, Ext. 23014 LAB: 22038
FAX: (905)-5296225
EMAIL: decatanz@mcmaster.ca

My current research concerns the reproductive impacts of estrogens and similar molecules from natural and unnatural sources outside the individual's own body.  This work is focused on estrogenic actions affecting early pregnancy, pubertal development, and perinatal sexual differentiation.  It is primarily conducted with laboratory mice, but we are interested in basic processes observed in diverse mammals including humans.  Here are some of the ongoing projects: 

Roles of steroids as pheromones:  My students and I have been studying two well-known mammalian pheromonal effects, the disruption of early pregnancy by novel males ("Bruce effect") and the advancement of female puberty by exposure to novel males ("Vandenbergh effect").  We have gathered much evidence implicating male-excreted estrogens and androgens that are absorbed into females' systems.  We have shown that very low doses of exogenous estrogens administered to females can mimic both pheromonal effects.  There are established mechanisms in the uterus through which estrogens can disrupt intrauterine implantation of fertilized ova in inseminated females and promote reproductive tract maturation in developing females.  We have measured substantial quantities of estradiol and other steroids in the excretions of males, especially when they are in the presence of females.  We have demonstrated that males' excretions impinge upon the nasal area and skin of nearby females.  We have been tracing radiolabeled estradiol and other steroids in both male and female mice.  We have observed that 3H-estradiol introduced into males can pass from their circulation to their urine.  When females are nasally exposed to 3H-estradiol or urine from males given 3H-estradiol, radioactivity is detected in the females' circulation and readily found in diverse tissues including the uterus and brain.  This ongoing experimentation is providing a new explanation of these classic mammalian pheromonal phenomena.

Xenoestrogens and phytoestrogens:  We are examining the reproductive influences of estrogenic environmental contaminants such as bisphenol-A and parabens.  We are also investigating natural plant phytoestrogens such as those found in soy products.  We focus on the same estrogen-sensitive measures that are examined in the pheromonal studies described above, i.e. the success or failure of early pregnancy and the progress of reproductive maturation in young females.  We are also looking at perinatal exposure to hormone-mimicking chemicals, because of the potential of these substances to alter sexual differentiation of brain and behaviour.

Some recent publications
 

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles:

• Thorpe, J.B., Rajabi, N., & deCatanzaro, D. (2012). Circadian rhythm and response to an acute stressor of urinary corticosterone and testosterone in adult male mice. Hormone and Metabolic Research, in press.
• Guzzo, A.C., Jheon. J., Imtiaz, F., & deCatanzaro, D. (2012). Oestradiol transmission from males to females in the context of the Bruce and Vandenbergh effects in mice (Mus musculus). Reproduction, 143, 539-548. 
• Thorpe, J.B., & deCatanzaro, D. (2012). Oestradiol treatment restores the capacity of castrated males to induce both the Vandenbergh and the Bruce effects in mice (Mus musculus). Reproduction, 143, 123-132.
• deCatanzaro, D. (2011). Blastocyst implantation is vulnerable to stress-induced rises in endogenous estrogens and also to excretions of estrogens by proximate males. Journal of Reproductive Immunology, 90, 14-20.
• Berger, R.G., Foster, W.G., & deCatanzaro, D. (2010). Bisphenol-A exposure during the period of blastocyst implantation alters uterine morphology and perturbs measures of estrogen and progesterone receptor expression in mice. Reproductive Toxicology 30, 393-400.
• Roullet, F.I., Wollaston, L., deCatanzaro, D., & Foster, J.A. (2010). Behavioral and molecular changes in the mouse in response to prenatal exposure to the anti-epileptic drug valproic acid. Neuroscience 179, 514-522.
• Guzzo, A.C., Berger, R.G., & deCatanzaro, D. (2010). Excretion and binding of tritium-labelled oestradiol in mice (Mus musculus): Implications for the Bruce effect. Reproduction, 139, 255-263.
• Kolozsi, E., MacKenzie, R.N., Roullet, F.I., deCatanzaro, D., & Foster, J.A. (2009). Prenatal exposure to valproic acid leads to reduced expression of synaptic adhesion molecule neuroligin 3 in mice. Neuroscience, 163, 1201-1210.
• Khan, A., Berger, R.G., & deCatanzaro, D. (2009). Preputialectomised and intact adult male mice exhibit an elevated urinary ratio of oestradiol to creatinine in the presence of developing females, whilst promoting uterine and ovarian growth of these females. Reproduction, Fertility and Development,21, 860-868.
• deCatanzaro, D., Khan, A., Berger, R.G., & Lewis, E. (2009). Exposure to developing females induces polyuria, polydipsia, and altered urinary levels of creatinine, 17?-estradiol, and testosterone in adult male mice (Mus musculus). Hormones and Behavior, 55, 240-247.
• Shaw, J., & deCatanzaro, D. (2009). Estrogenicity of parabens revisited: Impact of parabens on early pregnancy and an uterotrophic assay in mice. Reproductive Toxicology, 28, 26-31.
• Vaillancourt, T., deCatanzaro, D., Duku, E. & Muir, C. (2009). Androgen dynamics in the context of children’s peer relations: An examination of the links between testosterone and peer-victimization. Aggressive Behavior, 35, 103-113.
• Berger, R.G., Shaw, J., & deCatanzaro, D. (2008). Impact of acute bisphenol A exposure upon intrauterine implantation of fertilized ova and urinary 17?-estradiol and progesterone levels. Reproductive Toxicology, 26, 94-99.
• Muir, C.C., Treasurywala, K., McAllister, S., Sutherland, J., Dukas, L. Berger, R.G., Khan, A. & deCatanzaro, D. (2008). Enzyme immunoassay of testosterone, 17?-estradiol, and progesterone in perspiration and urine of preadolescents and young adults: Exceptional levels in men’s axillary perspiration. Hormone and Metabolic Research, 40, 819-826.
• Khan, A., Bellefontaine, N., & deCatanzaro, D. (2008). Onset of sexual maturation in female mice as measured in behavior and fertility: Interactions of exposure to males, phytoestrogen content of diet, and ano-genital distance. Physiology & Behavior, 93, 588–594.
• Khan, A., Berger, R.G., & deCatanzaro, D. (2008). The onset of puberty in female mice as reflected in urinary steroids and uterine/ovarian mass: Interactions of exposure to males, phyto-oestrogen content of diet, and ano-genital distance. Reproduction, 135, 99-106.
• Vaillancourt, T., Duku, E., deCatanzaro, D., MacMillan, H., Muir, C., & Schmidt, L.A. (2008). Variation in hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity among bullied and non-bullied children. Aggressive Behavior, 34, 294–305.

 Book:

deCatanzaro, D. (1999). Motivation and Emotion: Evolutionary, Physiological, Developmental, and Social Perspectives. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall (Pearson Education).  Also published in Spanish (2001), Polish (2003), and Japanese (2005).