Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, College of Medicine, Howard University, Washington DC, USA.
Departments of Oncology and of Biostatistics, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA.
Environ Res. 2020 Dec;191:110211. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2020.110211. Epub 2020 Sep 13.
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are one of the original twelve classes of toxic chemicals covered by the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POP), an international environmental treaty signed in 2001. PCBs are present in the environment as mixtures of multiple isomers at different degree of chlorination. These compounds are manmade and possess useful industrial properties including extreme longevity under harsh conditions, heat absorbance, and the ability to form an oily liquid at room temperature that is useful for electrical utilities and in other industrial applications. They have been widely used for a wide range of industrial purposes over the decades. Despite a ban in production in 1979 in the US and many other countries, they remain persistent and ubiquitous in environment as contaminants due to their improper disposal. Humans, independent of where they live, are therefore exposed to PCBs, which are routinely found in random surveys of human and animal tissues. The prolonged exposures to PCBs have been associated with the development of different diseases and disorders, and they are classified as endocrine disruptors. Due to its ability to interact with thyroid hormone, metabolism and function, they are thought to be implicated in the global rise of obesity diabetes, and their potential toxicity for neurodevelopment and disorders, an example of gene by environmental interaction (GxE). The current review is primarily intended to summarize the evidence for the association of PCB exposures with increased risks for metabolic dysfunctions and neurobehavioral disorders. In particular, we present evidence of gene expression alterations in PCB-exposed populations to construct the underlying pathways that may lead to those diseases and disorders in course of life. We conclude the review with future perspectives on biomarker-based research to identify susceptible individuals and populations.
多氯联苯(PCBs)是 2001 年签署的《关于持久性有机污染物的斯德哥尔摩公约》(POP)涵盖的最初 12 类有毒化学物质之一。PCBs 以不同氯化程度的多种异构体混合物形式存在于环境中。这些化合物是人为合成的,具有有用的工业特性,包括在恶劣条件下的极端耐久性、耐热性以及在室温下形成油性液体的能力,这对电力和其他工业应用很有用。几十年来,它们已被广泛用于各种工业用途。尽管 1979 年美国和许多其他国家禁止生产,但由于处理不当,它们仍然作为污染物在环境中持续存在且无处不在。因此,无论人类居住在哪里,都不可避免地会接触到 PCBs,这些物质在对人体和动物组织进行的随机调查中经常被发现。长期接触 PCBs 与多种疾病和障碍的发展有关,它们被归类为内分泌干扰物。由于其与甲状腺激素相互作用、代谢和功能的能力,它们被认为与肥胖症、糖尿病的全球发病率上升有关,以及它们对神经发育和障碍的潜在毒性,这是基因与环境相互作用(GxE)的一个例子。本综述主要旨在总结 PCB 暴露与代谢功能障碍和神经行为障碍风险增加之间关联的证据。特别是,我们提出了在 PCB 暴露人群中基因表达改变的证据,以构建可能导致这些疾病和障碍在一生中发生的潜在途径。我们以基于生物标志物的研究的未来展望结束综述,以识别易感个体和人群。