Papavasilopoulos Rachel K, Kang Sanghoon
Department of Biological Sciences, Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, IL 61920, USA.
Toxics. 2022 Sep 1;10(9):523. doi: 10.3390/toxics10090523.
Triclosan (TCS) is a widely used chemical whose effects on human health remains elusive. TCS may play a role in a variety of health issues, including endocrine dysfunction, irregular embryonic development, and immune suppression. It is possible that TCS's penetrative abilities across all body barriers, including the blood-brain barrier, may make bioaccumulation the primary driver of these issues. In addition, chronic overuse of this chemical in everyday life may further contribute to the already increasing problem of antibiotic resistance. TCS research has steadily increased since its transition from medical to commercial use over the last 50 years. However, there are some clear gaps in the depth of this research as the safety of this agent is not fully agreed upon. The Food and Drug Administration recently issued regulatory rules regarding TCS in some commercial products; however, it is still found in a variety of goods marketed as "antimicrobial" or "antibacterial". The purpose of this bibliometric study is to analyze research trends in this field and determine the amount of global attention TCS has received as to its relevancy in human health. Documenting and determining research concentration trends related to this field may outline where additional research is most necessary, as well as demonstrate the most valuable research produced and its relation to the advancement of our understanding of TCS. We found there to be a shift in research from TCS and its role in medical environments, to research based on the indirect effects of TCS through environmental contaminations, such as the propagation of antibiotic resistance. This shift was coupled with an increase in global research related to this field and identified China as a significant contributor. Although TCS has received notice, the simple fact of its continued use in so many common products, as well as the unclear understanding of its direct health impacts, reinforces the need for additional and more conclusive research before it has possible irreversible effects on our environment and health.
三氯生（TCS）是一种广泛使用的化学物质，其对人体健康的影响仍不明确。TCS可能在多种健康问题中起作用，包括内分泌功能障碍、胚胎发育异常和免疫抑制。TCS穿透包括血脑屏障在内的所有身体屏障的能力，可能使生物累积成为这些问题的主要驱动因素。此外，在日常生活中长期过度使用这种化学物质，可能会进一步加剧抗生素耐药性这一日益严重的问题。自过去50年从医疗用途转变为商业用途以来，对TCS的研究一直在稳步增加。然而，由于对这种物质的安全性尚未完全达成共识，该研究在深度上存在一些明显的差距。美国食品药品监督管理局最近发布了关于某些商业产品中TCS的监管规定；然而，它仍存在于各种标有“抗菌”或“抑菌”的商品中。这项文献计量学研究的目的是分析该领域的研究趋势，并确定全球对TCS与人类健康相关性的关注程度。记录和确定与该领域相关研究的集中趋势，可能会勾勒出最需要进一步研究的方向，同时展示已产生的最有价值的研究及其与我们对TCS理解进展的关系。我们发现，研究重点已从TCS及其在医疗环境中的作用，转向基于TCS通过环境污染产生的间接影响的研究，比如抗生素耐药性的传播。这种转变伴随着该领域全球研究的增加，并确定中国是一个重要贡献者。尽管TCS已受到关注，但它仍在众多普通产品中持续使用这一简单事实，以及对其直接健康影响的认识不清，都凸显了在其可能对我们的环境和健康产生不可逆转的影响之前，需要进行更多更具决定性研究的必要性。
