The Impact of Endocrine Disruptors on Endocrine Targets

Abstract

Endocrine disruption represents one of the most controversial environmental issues of our époque. So far, many substances, both natural and artificial, have been recognized to interfere with endocrine signaling pathways. In intact laboratory animals, this interaction has been documented to generate adverse health outcomes by impairing normal functions. With regard to humans, evidence is limited and inconsistent to clearly establish a causal inference, however, accumulating data incriminate endocrine disrupting chemicals to reproductive disorders and disturbed thyroid homeostasis. Recently, as a result of animal models and preliminary human studies, a new area of interest has arisen concerning the implication of endocrine disruptors in the etiology of obesity and diabetes, the two major, life-threatening, epidemics of modern world. This article reviews the evidence linking endocrine disrupting chemicals to a broad spectrum of clinical perturbations from reproduction and thyroid to metabolic regulation.

Assessment of source water contamination by estrogenic disrupting compounds in China

“…On the another hand, some EDCs are persistent in the environment and can be accumulated in human body (Bianco et al, 2011). Hence, the impacts to humans of the EDCs in Chinese source waters should not be ignored, even though current data on the relationship between exposure to environmental EDCs and human health remains limited (Diamanti-Kandarakis et al, 2010). To take precaution, certain measures can be taken to decrease levels of EDCs in source waters, such as restricting pollution discharge upstream of source waters, and introducing proper treatment processes.…”

The effect of bisphenol A on some oxidative stress parameters and acetylcholinesterase activity in the heart of male albino rats

“…Health Canada (2008 has also banned it from baby bottles. Similarly, the American Endocrine Society recommended further research on endocrine-disrupting chemicals including BPA, citing a strong basis for concern about possible links between these chemicals, obesity, and related disorders (Diamanti-Kandarakis et al 2010). However, there is to-date no literature available on the effect of BPA on cardiac oxidative stress parameters and AchE activity.…”

The amphibianPelophylax bergeri(Günther, 1986) testis poly(ADP-ribose)polymerases: relationship to endocrine disruptors during spermatogenesis

“…The growing number of reports demonstrating that common environmental contaminants and natural factors possess endocrine disruptor activity presents the working hypothesis that the adverse trends in male reproductive health may be, at least in part, associated with exposure to estrogenic or other hormonally active (e.g., antiandrogenic) environmental chemicals (Diamanti-Kandarakis et al 2010).…”