scholarly journals Zearalenone endocrine system catch

2005 ◽  
pp. 121-127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vojislava Bursic ◽  
Verica Juric

This paper deals with the contamination of our environment with thousands of both natural and man-made chemicals which affect the endocrine system of humans and animals. These so-called endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are thought to mimic or block the action of hormones and therefore disrupt sexual development in utero. EDCs are organochlorine pesticides, dioxin compounds, polychlorinated biphenyls, alkylpolyethoxylates, plastic additives and phytoestrogens (occurring naturally in foods: isoflavones coumenestans and zearalenone). The structure of zearalenone is similar to the structure of estrogens and it enables binding to the estrogenic receptors. DNA laddering on gel electrophoresis was present 12 h after dosing thus indicating a conclusion that there was apoptosis. Apoptosis is the principal mechanism contributing to germ cell depletion and testicular atrophy following zearalenone exposure.

2017 ◽  
Vol 71 (0) ◽  
pp. 0-0
Author(s):  
Karolina Kulik-Kupka ◽  
Justyna Nowak ◽  
Ilona Korzonek-Szlacheta ◽  
Barbara Zubelewicz-Szkodzińska

The development of civilization has not only improved the quality of life, but it is also responsible for increasing environmental pollution. Between 80000-100000 previously unknown chemicals have been estimated to circulate in the air. They include substances known as endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDC). These substances can naturally be found in the environment and food, or are classified as pollutants. EDCs are said to change the functionality of the endocrine system and, in this way, exert an influence on other body functions. Substances such as bisphenol A, phthalates, polychlorinated biphenyls and dioxins are part of the endocrine disrupting chemicals. Some of these compounds (bisphenol A, phthalates) are used in the production of daily necessities like plastic food storage containers, bottles, perfumes, and shampoos. Endocrine disrupting chemicals accumulate in the adipose tissue and have been detected in biological fluids, namely serum, urine, breast milk and amniotic fluid. Exposure to EDC may cause many negative health effects. Bisphenol A, for example, can lead to diabetes, obesity, metabolic syndrome, cancer, or fertility disorders. Classified as carcinogens, phthalates can cause reduced sperm count and testosterone levels, as well as damage to the liver, kidneys and the heart. Dioxins have also been found to exhibit carcinogenic properties. Prenatal exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) has been linked to decreased IQ of offspring, among other problems. This article is a review of publications available on the medical databases such as Polish Medical Bibliography and PubMed-NCBI from the years 2005-2016, which covered endocrine disrupting chemicals and their influence on human beings.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 933
Author(s):  
Maria E. Street ◽  
Karine Audouze ◽  
Juliette Legler ◽  
Hideko Sone ◽  
Paola Palanza

Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are exogenous chemicals which can disrupt any action of the endocrine system, and are an important class of substances which play a role in the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) [...]


2001 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-64
Author(s):  
R. Yoshiyuki Osamura ◽  
Toshiki Iwasaka ◽  
Shinobu Umemura

Endocrinology ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 160 (12) ◽  
pp. 2981-2989 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Fénichel ◽  
Nicolas Chevalier

Abstract Testicular germ cell cancer (TGCC) is the most frequent cancer of the young male, with an increasing incidence worldwide. The pathogenesis and reasons for this increase remain unknown. However, epidemiological and experimental data have suggested that, similar to genital malformations and sperm impairment, it could result from the interaction of genetic and environmental factors including fetal exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) with estrogenic effects. In this review, we analyze the expression of classic and nonclassic estrogen receptors by TGCC cells, the way they may influence germ cell proliferation induced by EDCs, and discuss how this estrogen dependency supports the developmental and environmental hypothesis.


2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 309-325 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chinonye Doris Onuzulu ◽  
Oluwakemi Anuoluwapo Rotimi ◽  
Solomon Oladapo Rotimi

Abstract Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are xenobiotics which adversely modify the hormone system. The endocrine system is most vulnerable to assaults by endocrine disruptors during the prenatal and early development window, and effects may persist into adulthood and across generations. The prenatal stage is a period of vulnerability to environmental chemicals because the epigenome is usually reprogrammed during this period. Bisphenol A (BPA), lead (Pb), and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) were chosen for critical review because they have become serious public health concerns globally, especially in Africa where they are widely used without any regulation. In this review, we introduce EDCs and describe the various modes of action of EDCs and the importance of the prenatal and developmental windows to EDC exposure. We give a brief overview of epigenetics and describe the various epigenetic mechanisms: DNA methylation, histone modifications and non-coding RNAs, and how each of them affects gene expression. We then summarize findings from previous studies on the effects of prenatal exposure to the endocrine disruptors BPA, Pb and DDT on each of the previously described epigenetic mechanisms. We also discuss how the epigenetic alterations caused by these EDCs may be related to disease processes.


2013 ◽  
Vol 67 (7) ◽  
pp. 1551-1556 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Noutsopoulos ◽  
D. Mamais ◽  
V. Samaras ◽  
T. Bouras ◽  
M. Marneri ◽  
...  

Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are compounds of mainly anthropogenic origin that interfere with the endocrine system of animals and humans thus causing a series of disorders. Wastewater treatment plants are one of the major routes for transporting such chemicals to the water courses. In the context of this study, several chlorination batch tests were performed in order to assess the effectiveness of chlorination to remove bisphenol A (BPA), triclosan (TCS), nonylphenol (NP) and its ethoxylates (NP1EO and NP2EO) from secondary effluent. According to the results, an appreciable removal of NP, BPA and TCS to the order of 60–84% was observed as an effect of moderate chlorination doses. This was not the case for NP1EO and NP2EO as even at high chlorine doses, removal efficiencies were lower (37% for NP1EO and 52% for NP2EO). Removal efficiencies of NP, BPA and TCS are practically independent of contact time, although this was not the case for NP1EO and NP2EO. Based on toxicity experiments, it is anticipated that following chlorination of the target chemicals, production of more toxic metabolites is taking place. Therefore the effectiveness of chlorination to remove EDCs is questionable and more research is needed to guarantee safe wastewater reuse.


2003 ◽  
Vol 75 (11-12) ◽  
pp. 2321-2333 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. G. Pottinger

The extent to which nonreproductive aspects of the endocrine system are affected by environmental contaminants is to a large extent unknown. However, an emerging body of data demonstrates that the neuroendocrine stress response is a sensitive target for disruption by a range of environmental contaminants, at a number of discrete loci. Several mechanisms are responsible for generating and sustaining the corticosteroid response to a stressor, including synthesis of the steroid, negative feedback at the pituitary and hypothalamus, and clearance via metabolism and conjugation in peripheral tissues and the liver. Laboratory and field studies provide evidence that these elements of the stress response are susceptible to interference by EAS. The functional significance to the individual of interference with this important adaptive mechanism remains to be established.


Author(s):  
Maria De Falco ◽  
Vincenza Laforgia

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) belong to a heterogeneous class of environmental pollutants widely diffused in different aquatic and terrestrial habitats. This implies that humans and animals are continuously exposed to EDCs from different matrices and sources. Moreover, pollution derived from anthropic and industrial activities leads to combined exposure to substances with multiple mechanisms of action on the endocrine system and correlated cell and tissue targets. For this reason, specific organs, such as the prostate gland, which physiologically are under the control of hormones like androgens and estrogens, are particularly sensitive to EDC stimulation. It is now well known that an imbalance in hormonal regulation can cause the onset of various prostate diseases, from benign prostate hyperplasia to prostate cancer. In this review, starting with the description of normal prostate gland anatomy and embryology, we summarize recent studies reporting on how the multiple and simultaneous exposure to estrogenic and anti-androgenic compounds belonging to EDCs are responsible for an increase in prostate disease incidence in the human population.


Author(s):  
Cheryl S. Rosenfeld

The conceptus is most vulnerable to developmental perturbation during its early stages when the events that create functional organ systems are being launched. As the placenta is in direct contact with maternal tissues, it readily encounters any xenobiotics in her bloodstream. Besides serving as a conduit for solutes and waste, the placenta possesses a tightly regulated endocrine system that is, of itself, vulnerable to pharmaceutical agents, endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), and other environmental toxicants. To determine whether extrinsic factors affect placental function, transcriptomics and other omics approaches have become more widely used. In casting a wide net with such approaches, they have provided mechanistic insights into placental physiological and pathological responses and how placental responses may impact the fetus, especially the developing brain through the placenta-brain axis. This review will discuss how such omics technologies have been utilized to understand effects of EDCs, including the widely prevalent plasticizers bisphenol A (BPA), bisphenol S (BPS), and phthalates, other environmental toxicants, pharmaceutical agents, maternal smoking, and air pollution on placental gene expression, DNA methylation, and metabolomic profiles. It is also increasingly becoming clear that miRNA (miR) are important epigenetic regulators of placental function. Thus, the evidence to date that xenobiotics affect placental miR expression patterns will also be explored. Such omics approaches with mouse and human placenta will assuredly provide key biomarkers that may be used as barometers of exposure and can be targeted by early mitigation approaches to prevent later diseases, in particular neurobehavioral disorders, originating due to placental dysfunction.


Author(s):  
Giuseppe Lisco ◽  
Vito Angelo Giagulli ◽  
Michele Iovino ◽  
Edoardo Guastamacchia ◽  
Giovanni De Pergola ◽  
...  

Background: Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are natural or synthetic compounds deriving from different human activities and are widely spread into the environment, contributing to indoor and outdoor pollution. EDCs may be conveyed by food and water consumption and skin, airways, placental, and breastfeeding. Upon entering the circulation, they can interfere with endocrine system homeostasis by several mechanisms. Aim: In this narrative review, the authors overviewed the leading mechanisms by which EDCs interact and disrupt the endocrine system, leading to possible human health concerns. Results: The leading mechanisms of EDCs-related toxicity have been illustrated in in vitro studies and animal models and may be summarized as follows: receptor agonism and antagonism; modulation of hormone receptor expression; interference with signal transduction in hormone-responsive cells; epigenetic modifications in hormone-producing or hormone-responsive cells; interference with hormone synthesis; interference with hormone transport across cell membranes; interference with hormone metabolism or clearance; interference with the destiny of hormone-producing or hormone-responsive cells. Discussion: Despite these well-defined mechanisms, some limitations do not allow for conclusive assumptions. Indeed, epidemiological and ecological studies are currently lacking and usually refer to a specific cluster of patients (occupational exposure). Methodological aspects could further complicate the issue since these studies could require a long time to provide useful information. The lack of a real unexposed group in environmental conditions, possible interference of EDCs mixture on biological results, and unpredictable dose-response curves for some EDCs should also be considered significant limitations. Conclusion: Given these limitations, specific observational and long-term studies are needed to identify at-risk populations for adequate treatment of exposed patients and effective prevention plans against excessive exposure to EDCs.


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