Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, Corso Dogliotti 14, 10126, Turin, Italy.
Department of Biological and Clinical Science, University of Turin, Regione Gonzole 10, 10043, Orbassano (TO), Italy.
Endocrine. 2022 Dec;78(3):395-405. doi: 10.1007/s12020-022-03076-x. Epub 2022 May 23.
In recent years, scientific research has increasingly focused on Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) and demonstrated their relevant role in the functional impairment of endocrine glands. This induced regulatory authorities to ban some of these compounds and to carefully investigate others in order to prevent EDCs-related conditions. As a result, we witnessed a growing awareness and interest on this topic.
This paper aims to summarize current evidence regarding the detrimental effects of EDCs on pivotal endocrine glands like pituitary, thyroid and adrenal ones. Particularly, we directed our attention on the known and the hypothesized mechanisms of endocrine dysfunction brought by EDCs. We also gave a glimpse on recent findings from pioneering studies that could in the future shed a light on the pathophysiology of well-known, but poorly understood, endocrine diseases like hormone-producing adenomas.
Although intriguing, studies on endocrine dysfunctions brought by EDCs are challenging, in particular when investigating long-term effects of EDCs on humans. However, undoubtedly, it represents a new intriguing field of science research.
近年来，科学研究越来越关注内分泌干扰化学物质（EDCs），并证明它们在内分泌腺体功能障碍中具有相关作用。这促使监管机构禁止使用其中一些化合物，并仔细研究其他化合物，以防止与 EDC 相关的疾病。因此，我们见证了对这个话题的日益关注和兴趣。
本文旨在总结目前关于 EDC 对垂体、甲状腺和肾上腺等重要内分泌腺的有害影响的证据。特别地，我们关注了 EDC 引起的内分泌功能障碍的已知和假设机制。我们还简要介绍了开创性研究的最新发现，这些发现可能有助于阐明一些众所周知但知之甚少的内分泌疾病（如激素分泌腺瘤）的病理生理学。
尽管引人入胜，但 EDC 引起的内分泌功能障碍的研究具有挑战性，特别是当研究 EDC 对人类的长期影响时。然而，毫无疑问，它代表了一个新的科学研究领域。
