ArticleProceedings. Biological sciences2013
Environmental levels of oestrogenic and antiandrogenic compounds feminize digit ratios in male rats and their unexposed male progeny.
Article in Proceedings. Biological sciences, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 39 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
39 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 101 citations in OpenAlex.
- In support of 2D:4D: More data exploring its conflicting results on handedness, sexual orientation and sex differences.PloS one · 2023Pooled it
- Cognitive reflection, 2D:4D and social value orientation.PloS one · 2019Trial
- Social status and prenatal testosterone exposure assessed via second-to-fourth digit ratio affect 6-9-year-old children's prosocial choices.Scientific reports · 2018Trial
- Effects of prenatal Leydig cell function on the ratio of the second to fourth digit lengths in school-aged children.PloS one · 2015Trial
- The 2D:4D Digit Ratio and Primary Sjögren's Syndrome: A Window Into Prenatal Hormonal Influences on Exocrine Autoimmunity.American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council · 2026Article
- Sex-related biological variation and mental toughness in soccer: a 2D:4D digit-ratio study of Type a, Type B and Type C classification across playing positions.Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience · 2026Article
- Investigating Sexual Characteristics in Two Frog Species Under Exposure to River Water Polluted with Endocrine Disruptors.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2025Article
- Radiologically Assessed Sex-Specific Left-Hand Digit Ratio (2D:4D) in Caucasian Children and Adolescents from South Germany.Archives of sexual behavior · 2025Article
- Prenatal exposure to air pollutants and the second to fourth digit ratio in adult women.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- The association and underlying mechanism of the digit ratio (2D:4D) in hypospadias.Asian journal of andrology · 2024Article
- Digit Ratio (2D:4D; Right-Left 2D:4D) and Multiple Phenotypes for Same-Sex Attraction: The BBC Internet Study Revisited.Archives of sexual behavior · 2024Article
- Digit ratio (2D:4D), laryngeal cancer and vocal fold leukoplakia.Journal of cancer research and clinical oncology · 2023Article
- Re-evaluation of the risks to public health related to the presence of bisphenol A (BPA) in foodstuffs.EFSA journal. European Food Safety Authority · 2023Article
- Skeletal effects following developmental flame-retardant exposure are specific to sex and chemical class in the adult Wistar rat.Frontiers in toxicology · 2023Article
- Effects of Elevated Maternal Adiposity on Offspring Reproductive Health: A Perspective From Epidemiologic Studies.Journal of the Endocrine Society · 2022Review
- Associations of maternal anthropometrics with newborn anogenital distance and the 2:4 digit ratio.Human reproduction (Oxford, England) · 2022Article
- Gender Differences and Relationship of 2D:4D-Ratio, Mental Toughness and Dark Triad Traits among Active Young Adults.Biology · 2022Article
- Critical review and analysis of literature on low dose exposure to chemical mixtures in mammalianCritical reviews in toxicology · 2022Review
- Digit ratio in the common toad Bufo bufo: the effects of reduced fingers and of age dependency.Zoological letters · 2021Article
- Digit ratio (2D : 4D) and prosocial behaviour in economic games: no direct correlation with generosity, bargaining or trust-related behaviours.Biology letters · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 6 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Digit length ratios, especially the second-to-fourth digit ratio (2D : 4D), are associated with various pathological and behavioural conditions in many species including humans and are dependent upon prenatal androgen to oestrogen balance. It is unknown whether digit ratios are modified by environmental exposure to ubiquitous endocrine disruptors. We studied the effect on adult male Wistar rat digit ratios of a gestational exposure to the oestrogenic and antiandrogenic compounds bisphenol A (BPA), genistein and vinclozolin, in low doses, and in combination with investigating in parallel a possible sexual dimorphism of this trait. We also investigated the effects on the male progeny not exposed during gestation. X-rays were taken of the left and right forepaws, and 2D-5D proximal to distal phalanx distances were measured by a standardized procedure based on semi-automatic image analysis. We provide evidence that there is a sexual dimorphism of digit ratios in the Wistar rat, and we found that BPA alone or in combination with genistein and vinclozolin significantly feminized digit ratios in male rats. Intriguingly, significant feminization of digit ratios was also found in the unexposed male progeny of males that had been exposed to compound mixtures. In conclusion, prenatal environmental levels of endocrine-active substances permanently disrupt digit ratios. Digit ratio measurement in adults is thus a promising biomarker of prenatal exposure to low-dose endocrine disruptors in rodents, with potential implications for future studies in humans.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.