Persistent endocrine-disrupting chemicals found in human follicular fluid stimulate the proliferation of granulosa tumor spheroids via GPR30 and IGF1R but not via the classic estrogen receptors

Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) include organochlorine pesticides, plastics manufacturing by-products, and certain herbicides[1]. These chemicals have been shown to disrupt hormonal signaling in exposed wildlife, lab animals, and mammalian cell culture by binding to estrogen receptors (ER-α and ER-β) and affecting the expression of estrogen responsive genes[2,3]. Additionally, certain plant chemicals, termed phytoestrogens, are also able to bind to estrogen receptors and modulate gene expression, and as such also may be considered EDCs[4]. One example of phytoestrogen action is genistein, a phytochemical produced by soybeans, binding estrogen receptors, and changing expression of estrogen responsive genes which certain studies have linked to a lower incidence of hormonally related cancers in Japanese populations[5]. Why would plants make compounds that are able to act as estrogens in the human body? Obviously, soybeans do not intentionally produce phytoestrogens to prevent breast cancer in Japanese women.

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Persistent environmental endocrine-disrupting chemicals in ovarian follicular fluid and in vitro fertilization treatment outcome in women

Upsala Journal of Medical Sciences ◽

10.1080/03009734.2020.1727073 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 125 (2) ◽

pp. 85-94 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Richelle D. Björvang ◽

Pauliina Damdimopoulou

Keyword(s):

Treatment Outcome ◽

In Vitro Fertilization ◽

Follicular Fluid ◽

Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals ◽

Vitro Fertilization ◽

Endocrine Disrupting ◽

Ovarian Follicular Fluid

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Hormone-Activated Estrogen Receptors in Annelid Invertebrates: Implications for Evolution and Endocrine Disruption

Endocrinology ◽

10.1210/en.2008-1338 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 150 (4) ◽

pp. 1731-1738 ◽

Cited By ~ 74

Author(s):

June Keay ◽

Joseph W. Thornton

Keyword(s):

Estrogen Receptors ◽

Endocrine Disruption ◽

Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals ◽

Estrogen Signaling ◽

Estrogen Sensitivity ◽

Endocrine Disrupting ◽

Platynereis Dumerilii ◽

Bilaterian Animal ◽

Capitella Capitata ◽

And Behavior

As the primary mediators of estrogen signaling in vertebrates, estrogen receptors (ERs) play crucial roles in reproduction, development, and behavior. They are also the major mediators of endocrine disruption by xenobiotic pollutants that mimic or block estrogen action. ERs that are sensitive to estrogen and endocrine disrupters have long been thought to be restricted to vertebrates: although there is evidence for estrogen signaling in invertebrates, the only ERs studied to date, from mollusks and cephalochordates, have been insensitive to estrogen and therefore incapable of mediating estrogen signaling or disruption. To determine whether estrogen sensitivity is ancestral or a unique characteristic of vertebrate ERs, we isolated and characterized ERs from two annelids, Platynereis dumerilii and Capitella capitata, because annelids are the sister phylum to mollusks and have been shown to produce and respond to estrogens. Functional assays show that annelid ERs specifically activate transcription in response to low estrogen concentrations and bind estrogen with high affinity. Furthermore, numerous known endocrine-disrupting chemicals activate or antagonize the annelid ER. This is the first report of a hormone-activated invertebrate ER. Our results indicate that estrogen signaling via the ER is as ancient as the ancestral bilaterian animal and corroborate the estrogen sensitivity of the ancestral steroid receptor. They suggest that the taxonomic scope of endocrine disruption by xenoestrogens may be very broad and reveal how functional diversity evolved in a gene family central to animal endocrinology.

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