Nettore Immacolata Cristina, Franchini Fabiana, Palatucci Giuseppe, Macchia Paolo Emidio, Ungaro Paola
Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Chirurgia, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Via S. Pansini, 80131 Naples, Italy.
Istituto per l'Endocrinologia e l'Oncologia Sperimentale del CNR "G. Salvatore", Via S. Pansini, 80131 Naples, Italy.
Biomedicines. 2021 Nov 18;9(11):1716. doi: 10.3390/biomedicines9111716.
The incidence of obesity has dramatically increased over the last decades. Recently, there has been a growing interest in the possible association between the pandemics of obesity and some endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), termed "obesogens". These are a heterogeneous group of exogenous compounds that can interfere in the endocrine regulation of energy metabolism and adipose tissue structure. Oral intake, inhalation, and dermal absorption represent the major sources of human exposure to these EDCs. Recently, epigenetic changes such as the methylation of cytosine residues on DNA, post-translational modification of histones, and microRNA expression have been considered to act as an intermediary between deleterious effects of EDCs and obesity development in susceptible individuals. Specifically, EDCs exposure during early-life development can detrimentally affect individuals via inducing epigenetic modifications that can permanently change the epigenome in the germline, enabling changes to be transmitted to the next generations and predisposing them to a multitude of diseases. The purpose of this review is to analyze the epigenetic alterations putatively induced by chemical exposures and their ability to interfere with the control of energy metabolism and adipose tissue regulation, resulting in imbalances in the control of body weight, which can lead to obesity.
在过去几十年中，肥胖症的发病率急剧上升。最近，人们越来越关注肥胖症大流行与一些称为“肥胖诱导物”的内分泌干扰化学物质（EDCs）之间可能存在的关联。这些是一类异质性的外源性化合物，它们可以干扰能量代谢和脂肪组织结构的内分泌调节。经口摄入、吸入和皮肤吸收是人类接触这些EDCs的主要途径。最近，诸如DNA上胞嘧啶残基的甲基化、组蛋白的翻译后修饰以及微小RNA表达等表观遗传变化，被认为在EDCs的有害影响与易感个体肥胖症发展之间起中介作用。具体而言，生命早期发育期间接触EDCs可通过诱导表观遗传修饰对个体产生有害影响，这些修饰可永久性改变种系中的表观基因组，使变化传递给下一代并使他们易患多种疾病。本综述的目的是分析化学物质暴露可能诱导的表观遗传改变，以及它们干扰能量代谢控制和脂肪组织调节的能力，从而导致体重控制失衡，进而引发肥胖症。
