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Endocrine Disruption and Human Diseases 2.0
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Endocrine Disruption and Human Diseases 2.0

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Endocrinology and Metabolism".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 June 2024 | Viewed by 6440

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Yuet-Kin Leung

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Division of Environmental Genetics and Molecular Toxicology, Department of Environmental Health, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA
Interests: endocrine disruptors; hormonal cancer; nuclear receptors; epigenetics; gene regulation; stem cells
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Shuk-Mei Ho

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA
Interests: hormones and endocrine disruptors; genetics and epigenetics in disease development

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Hormone is one of the essential factors for supporting growth and differentiation in humans. Any disruption by hormone mimetics existing in our environment at specific critical developmental windows (including prenatal, lactational, pubertal and pregnancy windows) could lead to detrimental effects, especially in those hormone-dependent tissues/organs. Not only would this disturb the preset developmental programs but also would heighten the risk for carcinogenesis via epigenetics reprogramming. Several classes of environmental endocrine disruptors have been identified and investigated. These include perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), bisphenols (BPA/BPS), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), phthalates (DEHP/DEP), pesticides (DDT/DDE), brominated flame retardants (PBDEs) and dioxins (PCDDs). The latest research findings revealed that some of these chemicals exhibit non-classical toxicological profiles i.e. prominent effects at the low dose, non-monotonic dose responses as well as multi-generation effects.

This Special Issue is a continuation of the successful issue “Endocrine Disruption and Human Diseases”, will cover a selection of recent research topics and current review articles in the field. Experimental papers, up-to-date review articles, and commentaries are all welcome.

Dr. Yuet-Kin Leung
Prof. Dr. Shuk-Mei Ho
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • environmental estrogens
  • developmental origins of health and disease
  • windows of susceptibility
  • transgeneration
  • endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDC)
  • exposure

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 2674 KiB  
Article
Postnatal Exposure to the Endocrine Disruptor Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane Affects Adrenomedullary Chromaffin Cell Physiology and Alters the Balance of Mechanisms Underlying Cell Renewal
by Nataliya V. Yaglova, Sergey S. Obernikhin, Svetlana V. Nazimova, Dibakhan A. Tsomartova, Ekaterina P. Timokhina, Valentin V. Yaglov, Elina S. Tsomartova, Elizaveta V. Chereshneva, Marina Y. Ivanova and Tatiana A. Lomanovskaya
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(3), 1494; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25031494 - 25 Jan 2024
Viewed by 512
Abstract
Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) is a wide-spread systemic pollutant with endocrine disrupting properties. Prenatal exposure to low doses of DDT has been shown to affect adrenal medulla growth and function. The role of postnatal exposure to DDT in developmental disorders remains unclear. The aim of [...] Read more.
Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) is a wide-spread systemic pollutant with endocrine disrupting properties. Prenatal exposure to low doses of DDT has been shown to affect adrenal medulla growth and function. The role of postnatal exposure to DDT in developmental disorders remains unclear. The aim of the present investigation is to assess growth parameters and the expression of factors mediating the function and renewal of chromaffin cells in the adult adrenal medulla of male Wistar rats exposed to the endocrine disruptor o,p’-DDT since birth until sexual maturation. The DDT-exposed rats exhibited normal growth of the adrenal medulla but significantly decreased tyrosine hydroxylase production by chromaffin cells during postnatal period. Unlike the control, the exposed rats showed enhanced proliferation and reduced expression of nuclear β-catenin, transcription factor Oct4, and ligand of Sonic hedgehog after termination of the adrenal growth period. No expression of pluripotency marker Sox2 and absence of Ascl 1-positive progenitors were found in the adrenal medulla during postnatal ontogeny of the exposed and the control rats. The present findings indicate that an increase in proliferative activity and inhibition of the formation of reserve for chromaffin cell renewal, two main mechanisms for cell maintenance in adrenal medulla, in the adult DDT-exposed rats may reflect a compensatory reaction aimed at the restoration of catecholamine production levels. The increased proliferation of chromaffin cells in adults suggests excessive growth of the adrenal medulla. Thus, postnatal exposure to DDT alters cell physiology and increases the risk of functional insufficiency and hyperplasia of the adrenal medulla. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Endocrine Disruption and Human Diseases 2.0)
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25 pages, 8626 KiB  
Article
NTS, NTSR1 and ERs in the Pituitary–Gonadal Axis of Cycling and Postnatal Female Rats after BPA Treatment
by Miriam González-Gómez, Ricardo Reyes, Mª del Carmen Damas-Hernández, Xiomara Plasencia-Cruz, Ibrahim González-Marrero, Rafael Alonso and Aixa R. Bello
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(8), 7418; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24087418 - 18 Apr 2023
Viewed by 1297
Abstract
The neuropeptide neurotensin (NTS) is involved in regulating the reproductive axis and is expressed at each level of this axis (hypothalamus–pituitary–gonads). This dependence on estrogen levels has been widely demonstrated in the hypothalamus and pituitary. We focused on confirming the relationship of NTS [...] Read more.
The neuropeptide neurotensin (NTS) is involved in regulating the reproductive axis and is expressed at each level of this axis (hypothalamus–pituitary–gonads). This dependence on estrogen levels has been widely demonstrated in the hypothalamus and pituitary. We focused on confirming the relationship of NTS with estrogens and the gonadal axis, using a particularly important environmental estrogenic molecule, bisphenol-A (BPA). Based on the experimental models or in vitro cell studies, it has been shown that BPA can negatively affect reproductive function. We studied for the first time the action of an exogenous estrogenic substance on the expression of NTS and estrogen receptors in the pituitary-gonadal axis during prolonged in vivo exposure. The exposure to BPA at 0.5 and 2 mg/kg body weight per day during gestation and lactation was monitored through indirect immunohistochemical procedures applied to the pituitary and ovary sections. Our results demonstrate that BPA induces alterations in the reproductive axis of the offspring, mainly after the first postnatal week. The rat pups exposed to BPA exhibited accelerated sexual maturation to puberty. There was no effect on the number of rats born per litter, although the fewer primordial follicles suggest a shorter fertile life. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Endocrine Disruption and Human Diseases 2.0)
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Review

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19 pages, 1711 KiB  
Review
The Role of Endocrine Disruption Chemical-Regulated Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Activity in the Pathogenesis of Pancreatic Diseases and Cancer
by Kyounghyun Kim
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(7), 3818; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25073818 - 29 Mar 2024
Viewed by 757
Abstract
The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) serves as a ligand-activated transcription factor crucial for regulating fundamental cellular and molecular processes, such as xenobiotic metabolism, immune responses, and cancer development. Notably, a spectrum of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) act as agonists or antagonists of AHR, leading [...] Read more.
The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) serves as a ligand-activated transcription factor crucial for regulating fundamental cellular and molecular processes, such as xenobiotic metabolism, immune responses, and cancer development. Notably, a spectrum of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) act as agonists or antagonists of AHR, leading to the dysregulation of pivotal cellular and molecular processes and endocrine system disruption. Accumulating evidence suggests a correlation between EDC exposure and the onset of diverse pancreatic diseases, including diabetes, pancreatitis, and pancreatic cancer. Despite this association, the mechanistic role of AHR as a linchpin molecule in EDC exposure-related pathogenesis of pancreatic diseases and cancer remains unexplored. This review comprehensively examines the involvement of AHR in EDC exposure-mediated regulation of pancreatic pathogenesis, emphasizing AHR as a potential therapeutic target for the pathogenesis of pancreatic diseases and cancer. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Endocrine Disruption and Human Diseases 2.0)
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24 pages, 2249 KiB  
Review
The Effects of Bisphenol A on Human Male Infertility: A Review of Current Epidemiological Studies
by Mafalda Presunto, Melissa Mariana, Margarida Lorigo and Elisa Cairrao
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(15), 12417; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241512417 - 04 Aug 2023
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3073
Abstract
Endocrine disruptor chemicals (EDCs) can have a harmful effect on the human body’s endocrine system and thus adversely affect the development, reproduction, neurological, cardiovascular, and immune systems and metabolism in humans and wildlife. According to the World Health Organization, EDCs are mostly man-made [...] Read more.
Endocrine disruptor chemicals (EDCs) can have a harmful effect on the human body’s endocrine system and thus adversely affect the development, reproduction, neurological, cardiovascular, and immune systems and metabolism in humans and wildlife. According to the World Health Organization, EDCs are mostly man-made and found ubiquitously in our daily lives, notably in pesticides, metals, and additives or contaminants in food and personal care products. Human exposure occurs through ingestion, inhalation, and dermal contact. Bisphenol A (BPA) is a proven EDC capable of mimicking or blocking receptors and altering hormone concentrations and metabolism. Although consumed in low doses, it can stimulate cellular responses and affect the body’s functions. In humans, exposure to BPA has been correlated with the onset or development of several diseases. This literature review aimed to verify the effects of BPA on human male infertility using the most recently published literature. Thus, this review allowed us to conclude that this compound seems to have harmful effects on human male fertility, causing changes in hormonal and semen characteristics. However, these conclusions lack more robust and reproducible scientific studies. Even so, and since male infertility prevalence is increasing, preventive measures must be taken to ensure male fertility. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Endocrine Disruption and Human Diseases 2.0)
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