Department of Ophthalmology, Otorhinolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery, Ribeirao Preto Medical School, University of Sao Paulo University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Department of Clinical, Toxicological and Bromatological Analyzes, ASTox - Laboratory of Analytical and Systems Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Brazil.
Med Hypotheses. 2019 Jan;122:157-164. doi: 10.1016/j.mehy.2018.11.009. Epub 2018 Nov 22.
Endocrine disruptors are a group of compounds that occur in increasing amounts in the environment. These compounds change the hormone homeostasis of the target organs regulated by those hormones, mostly by binding to their receptors and affecting their signaling pathways. Among the hormones altered by endocrine disruptors are sex hormones, thyroid hormones, and insulin. Studies have documented abnormalities in the reproductive and metabolic systems of various animal species exposed to endocrine disruptors. Endocrine disruptors can play a significant role in ocular diseases once hormone deficiency or excess are involved in the mechanism of that disease. Cataracts, dry eye disease and retinal diseases, such as macular hole and diabetic retinopathy, are some of the frequent problems where hormones have been implicated. We found that some compounds function as endocrine disruptors in the metabolism of body organs and systems. The increasing frequency of dry eye and other ocular diseases indicates the need to better investigate the potential relationships beyond the isolated associations mentioned by patients and documented as rare case reports. The evidence from case-control studies and experimental assays can provide the information necessary to confirm the endocrine effects of these chemicals in the pathophysiology of dry eye disease. We hypothesize that endocrine disruptors may contribute to the increase of ocular diseases, such as dry eye disease, in recent years.
内分泌干扰物是一组在环境中含量不断增加的化合物。这些化合物通过与受体结合并影响其信号通路，改变受这些激素调节的靶器官的激素内稳态。内分泌干扰物改变的激素包括性激素、甲状腺激素和胰岛素。研究记录了暴露于内分泌干扰物的各种动物物种的生殖和代谢系统异常。一旦激素缺乏或过多涉及该疾病的机制，内分泌干扰物就可以在眼部疾病中发挥重要作用。白内障、干眼症和视网膜疾病，如黄斑裂孔和糖尿病性视网膜病变，是一些与激素有关的常见问题。我们发现，一些化合物在体内器官和系统的代谢中起内分泌干扰物的作用。干眼症和其他眼部疾病的发病率不断上升，表明需要更好地研究除了患者提到的孤立关联之外的潜在关系，并记录为罕见病例报告。病例对照研究和实验检测的证据可以提供必要的信息，以确认这些化学物质在干眼症病理生理学中的内分泌效应。我们假设，内分泌干扰物可能导致近年来干眼症等眼部疾病的增加。
