Gorini Francesca, Tonacci Alessandro, Sanmartin Chiara, Venturi Francesca
Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council, 56124 Pisa, Italy.
Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa, 56124 Pisa, Italy.
Toxics. 2025 Mar 19;13(3):222. doi: 10.3390/toxics13030222.
Thyroid hormones (THs) play a crucial role in various biological functions, including metabolism, cell growth, and nervous system development, and any alteration involving the structure of the thyroid gland and TH secretion may result in thyroid disease. Growing evidence suggests that phthalate plasticizers, which are commonly used in a wide range of products (e.g., food packaging materials, children's toys, cosmetics, medical devices), can impact thyroid function, primarily affecting serum levels of THs and TH-related gene expression. Like phthalate compounds, recently introduced alternative plasticizers can leach from their source material into the environment, particularly into foods, although so far only a very limited number of studies have investigated their thyroid toxicity. This review aimed at summarizing the current knowledge on the role of phthalate and non-phthalate plasticizers in thyroid dysfunction and disease, describing the major biological mechanisms underlying this relationship. We will also focus on the food industry as one of the main players for the massive spread of such compounds in the human body, in turn conveyed by edible compounds. Given the increasing worldwide use of plasticizers and the essential role of THs in humans, novel strategies should be envisaged to reduce this burden on the thyroid and, in general, on human health.
甲状腺激素（THs）在多种生物学功能中发挥着关键作用，包括新陈代谢、细胞生长和神经系统发育，甲状腺结构和TH分泌的任何改变都可能导致甲状腺疾病。越来越多的证据表明，广泛应用于各类产品（如食品包装材料、儿童玩具、化妆品、医疗设备）中的邻苯二甲酸酯类增塑剂会影响甲状腺功能，主要影响TH的血清水平和TH相关基因表达。与邻苯二甲酸酯类化合物一样，最近引入的替代增塑剂也会从其源材料中渗出进入环境，尤其是进入食物中，尽管到目前为止仅有非常有限的研究调查了它们的甲状腺毒性。这篇综述旨在总结关于邻苯二甲酸酯类和非邻苯二甲酸酯类增塑剂在甲状腺功能障碍和疾病中的作用的现有知识，描述这种关系背后的主要生物学机制。我们还将关注食品行业，因为它是此类化合物在人体中大量传播的主要参与者之一，而这些化合物又是通过可食用化合物传播的。鉴于全球范围内增塑剂的使用不断增加以及THs对人类的重要作用，应该设想新的策略来减轻甲状腺以及总体上对人类健康的这种负担。
