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Frontiers in Endocrinology 2021Glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs) are among the most used pesticides worldwide, presenting high potential for human exposure. Recently, a debate was raised on... (Review)
Review
Glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs) are among the most used pesticides worldwide, presenting high potential for human exposure. Recently, a debate was raised on glyphosate risks to human health due to conflicting views over its potential carcinogenic and endocrine disruptive properties. Results from regulatory guideline studies, reports from Regulatory Agencies, and some literature studies point to a lack of endocrine disrupting properties of the active ingredient glyphosate. On the other hand, many and studies, using different experimental model systems, have demonstrated that GBHs can disrupt certain hormonal signaling pathways with impacts on the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis and other organ systems. Importantly, several studies showed that technical-grade glyphosate is less toxic than formulated GBHs, indicating that the mixture of the active ingredient and formulants can have cumulative effects on endocrine and reproductive endpoints, which requires special attention from Regulatory Agencies. In this mini-review, we discuss the controversies related to endocrine-disrupting properties of technical-grade glyphosate and GBHs emphasizing the reproductive system and its implications for human health.
Topics: Endocrine Disruptors; Endocrine System; Environmental Exposure; Glycine; Herbicides; Humans; Reproduction; Glyphosate
PubMed: 33790858
DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2021.627210 -
Trends in Endocrinology and Metabolism:... Jul 2020Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are chemicals that can interfere with normal endocrine signals. Human exposure to EDCs is particularly concerning during vulnerable... (Review)
Review
Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are chemicals that can interfere with normal endocrine signals. Human exposure to EDCs is particularly concerning during vulnerable periods of life, such as pregnancy. However, often overlooked is the effect that EDCs may pose to the placenta. The abundance of hormone receptors makes the placenta highly sensitive to EDCs. We have reviewed the most recent advances in our understanding of EDC exposures on the development and function of the placenta such as steroidogenesis, spiral artery remodeling, drug-transporter expression, implantation and cellular invasion, fusion, and proliferation. EDCs reviewed include those ubiquitous in the environment with available human biomonitoring data. This review also identifies critical gaps in knowledge to drive future research in the field.
Topics: Animals; Endocrine Disruptors; Endocrine System; Female; Humans; Placenta; Pregnancy; Trophoblasts
PubMed: 32249015
DOI: 10.1016/j.tem.2020.03.003 -
Endocrine Journal 2016Diabetes is a chronic and incurable disease, which results from absolute or relative insulin insufficiency. Therefore, pancreatic beta cells, which are the only type of... (Review)
Review
Diabetes is a chronic and incurable disease, which results from absolute or relative insulin insufficiency. Therefore, pancreatic beta cells, which are the only type of cell that expresses insulin, is considered to be a potential target for the cure of diabetes. Although the findings regarding beta-cell neogenesis during pancreas development have been exploited to induce insulin-producing cells from non-beta cells, there are still many hurdles towards generating fully functional beta cells that can produce high levels of insulin and respond to physiological signals. To overcome these problems, a solid understanding of pancreas development and beta-cell formation is required, and several mouse models have been developed to reveal the unique features of each endocrine cell type at distinct developmental time points. Here I review our understanding of pancreas development and endocrine differentiation focusing on recent progresses in improving temporal cell labeling in vivo.
Topics: Animals; Cell Differentiation; Cell Division; Diabetes Mellitus; Endocrine System; Humans; Insulin; Insulin Secretion; Insulin-Secreting Cells; Models, Biological; Regeneration
PubMed: 26615757
DOI: 10.1507/endocrj.EJ15-0601 -
Trends in Endocrinology and Metabolism:... Apr 2019Hormone rhythms are ubiquitous and essential to sustain normal physiological functions. Combined mathematical modelling and experimental approaches have shown that these... (Review)
Review
Hormone rhythms are ubiquitous and essential to sustain normal physiological functions. Combined mathematical modelling and experimental approaches have shown that these rhythms result from regulatory processes occurring at multiple levels of organisation and require continuous dynamic equilibration, particularly in response to stimuli. We review how such an interdisciplinary approach has been successfully applied to unravel complex regulatory mechanisms in the metabolic, stress, and reproductive axes. We discuss how this strategy is likely to be instrumental for making progress in emerging areas such as chronobiology and network physiology. Ultimately, we envisage that the insight provided by mathematical models could lead to novel experimental tools able to continuously adapt parameters to gradual physiological changes and the design of clinical interventions to restore normal endocrine function.
Topics: Chronotherapy; Circadian Rhythm; Endocrine System; Hormones; Humans; Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System; Models, Theoretical; Ultradian Rhythm
PubMed: 30799185
DOI: 10.1016/j.tem.2019.01.008 -
Nature Reviews. Endocrinology Apr 2021In the three decades since endocrine disruption was conceptualized at the Wingspread Conference, we have witnessed the growth of this multidisciplinary field and the... (Review)
Review
In the three decades since endocrine disruption was conceptualized at the Wingspread Conference, we have witnessed the growth of this multidisciplinary field and the accumulation of evidence showing the deleterious health effects of endocrine-disrupting chemicals. It is only within the past decade that, albeit slowly, some changes regarding regulatory measures have taken place. In this Perspective, we address some historical points regarding the advent of the endocrine disruption field and the conceptual changes that endocrine disruption brought about. We also provide our personal recollection of the events triggered by our serendipitous discovery of oestrogenic activity in plastic, a founder event in the field of endocrine disruption. This recollection ends with the CLARITY study as an example of a discordance between 'science for its own sake' and 'regulatory science' and leads us to offer a perspective that could be summarized by the motto attributed to Ludwig Boltzmann: "Nothing is more practical than a good theory".
Topics: Animals; Endocrine Disruptors; Endocrine System; Environmental Exposure; Fetal Development; Government Regulation; Humans
PubMed: 33514909
DOI: 10.1038/s41574-020-00460-3 -
Frontiers in Endocrinology 2022As an endocrine organ, the thyroid acts on the entire body by secreting a series of hormones, and bone is one of the main target organs of the thyroid. (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
As an endocrine organ, the thyroid acts on the entire body by secreting a series of hormones, and bone is one of the main target organs of the thyroid.
SUMMARY
This review highlights the roles of thyroid hormones and thyroid diseases in bone homeostasis.
CONCLUSION
Thyroid hormones play significant roles in the growth and development of bone, and imbalance of thyroid hormones can impair bone homeostasis.
Topics: Bone and Bones; Endocrine System; Hormones; Thyroid Gland; Thyroid Hormones
PubMed: 35464058
DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2022.873820 -
Adipocyte Dec 2020Although adipose tissue metabolism in obesity has been widely studied, there is limited research on the anorexic state, where the endocrine system is disrupted by... (Review)
Review
Although adipose tissue metabolism in obesity has been widely studied, there is limited research on the anorexic state, where the endocrine system is disrupted by reduced adipose tissue mass and there are depot-specific changes in adipocyte type and function. Stress exposure at different stages of life can alter the balance between energy intake and expenditure and thereby contribute to the pathogenesis of anorexia nervosa. This review integrates information from human clinical trials to describe endocrine, genetic and epigenetic aspects of adipose tissue physiology in the anorexic condition. Changes in the hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid, -adrenal, and -gonadal axes and their relationships to appetite regulation and adipocyte function are discussed. Because of the role of stress in triggering or magnifying anorexia, and the dynamic but also persistent nature of environmentally-induced epigenetic modifications, epigenetics is likely the link between stress and long-term changes in the endocrine system that disrupt homoeostatic food intake and adipose tissue metabolism. Herein, we focus on the adipocyte and changes in its function, including alterations reinforced by endocrine disturbance and dysfunctional adipokine regulation. This information is critical because of the poor understanding of anorexic pathophysiology, due to the lack of suitable research models, and the complexity of genetic and environmental interactions.
Topics: Adipocytes; Adipose Tissue; Animals; Anorexia; Disease Susceptibility; Endocrine System; Energy Metabolism; Epigenesis, Genetic; Gene Expression Regulation; Humans; Lipid Metabolism; Organ Size; Stress, Physiological
PubMed: 32772766
DOI: 10.1080/21623945.2020.1803643 -
Advances in Experimental Medicine and... 2018Our body not only responds to environmental changes but also anticipates them. The light and dark cycle with the period of about 24 h is a recurring environmental change... (Review)
Review
Our body not only responds to environmental changes but also anticipates them. The light and dark cycle with the period of about 24 h is a recurring environmental change that determines the diurnal variation in food availability and safety from predators in nature. As a result, the circadian clock is evolved in most animals to align locomotor behaviors and energy metabolism with the light cue. The central circadian clock in mammals is located at the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus in the brain. We here review the molecular and anatomic architecture of the central circadian clock in mammals, describe the experimental and observational evidence that suggests a critical role of the central circadian clock in shaping systemic energy metabolism, and discuss the involvement of endocrine factors, neuropeptides, and the autonomic nervous system in the metabolic functions of the central circadian clock.
Topics: Animals; Autonomic Nervous System; Circadian Clocks; Circadian Rhythm; Endocrine System; Energy Metabolism; Suprachiasmatic Nucleus
PubMed: 30390286
DOI: 10.1007/978-981-13-1286-1_5 -
Autonomic Neuroscience : Basic &... Sep 2015Adenosine-5'-triphosphate is released by neuroendocrine, endocrine, and other cell types and acts as an extracellular agonist for ligand-gated P2X cationic channels and... (Review)
Review
Adenosine-5'-triphosphate is released by neuroendocrine, endocrine, and other cell types and acts as an extracellular agonist for ligand-gated P2X cationic channels and G protein-coupled P2Y receptors in numerous organs and tissues, including the endocrine system. The breakdown of ATP by ectonucleotidases not only terminates its extracellular messenger functions, but also provides a pathway for the generation of two additional agonists: adenosine 5'-diphosphate, acting via some P2Y receptors, and adenosine, a native agonist for G protein-coupled adenosine receptors, also expressed in the endocrine system. This article provides a review of purinergic signaling pathways in the hypothalamic magnocellular neurosecretory cells and neurohypophysis, hypothalamic parvocellular neuroendocrine system, adenohypophysis, and effector glands organized in five axes: hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal, hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal, hypothalamic-pituitary-growth hormone, and hypothalamic-pituitary-prolactin. We attempted to summarize current knowledge of purinergic receptor subtypes expressed in the endocrine system, including their roles in intracellular signaling, hormone secretion, and other cell functions. We also briefly review the release mechanism for adenosine-5'-triphosphate by neuroendocrine, endocrine and surrounding cells, the enzymes involved in adenosine-5'-triphosphate hydrolysis to adenosine-5'-diphosphate and adenosine, and the relevance of this pathway for sequential activation of receptors and termination of signaling.
Topics: Animals; Endocrine System; Humans; Receptors, Purinergic
PubMed: 25960051
DOI: 10.1016/j.autneu.2015.04.010 -
American Journal of Physiology.... Feb 2013Analysis of the interactive effects of combinations of hormones or other manipulations with qualitatively similar individual effects is an important topic in basic and... (Review)
Review
Analysis of the interactive effects of combinations of hormones or other manipulations with qualitatively similar individual effects is an important topic in basic and clinical endocrinology as well as other branches of basic and clinical research related to integrative physiology. Functional, as opposed to mechanistic, analyses of interactions rely on the concept of synergy, which can be defined qualitatively as a cooperative action or quantitatively as a supra-additive effect according to some metric for the addition of different dose-effect curves. Unfortunately, dose-effect curve addition is far from straightforward; rather, it requires the development of an axiomatic mathematical theory. I review the mathematical soundness, face validity, and utility of the most frequently used approaches to supra-additive synergy. These criteria highlight serious problems in the two most common synergy approaches, response additivity and Loewe additivity, which is the basis of the isobole and related response surface approaches. I conclude that there is no adequate, generally applicable, supra-additive synergy metric appropriate for endocrinology or any other field of basic and clinical integrative physiology. I recommend that these metrics be abandoned in favor of the simpler definition of synergy as a cooperative, i.e., nonantagonistic, effect. This simple definition avoids mathematical difficulties, is easily applicable, meets regulatory requirements for combination therapy development, and suffices to advance phenomenological basic research to mechanistic studies of interactions and clinical combination therapy research.
Topics: Animals; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Drug Synergism; Endocrine System; Energy Metabolism; Homeostasis; Hormones; Humans; Models, Biological
PubMed: 23211518
DOI: 10.1152/ajpendo.00308.2012