Essay On Endocrine Disruptors

In this experiment, contractions of the earthworm gut are measured in an organ bath with a force transducer. The effect of neurotransmitters and ionic concentrations on contraction strength and rate will be investigated.

*Endocrine glands produce – hormones, they work with other hormones to perform many functions including: control water & electrolyte balance, regulating carbohydrate metabolism, working as neurotransmitters, maintaining stress & inflammation, regulate reproductive functions

Testosterone is released from the leydig cells and circulates the body. Like estrogen, testosterone can enter the target cell, bypassing the cell membrane and is transported to the nucleus by a carrier protein. Testosterone is also a transcription factor in which testosterone binds to genes and influences the function. Depending on the type of cell, testosterone can be converted into another form before reaching the nucleus. Only about seven percent of circulating testosterone is converted to dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and less than one percent is converted to estrogen. Testosterone first takes effect in the womb, allowing male reproductive organs to differentiate from female organs. The presence or absence of testosterone determines whether a baby will be male or female. At the onset of maturity, testosterone also signals other cells in the testes to begin production of sperm. Secondary sex characteristics include hair distribution on the face and body, the deepening of the voice as testosterone causes a growth in the larynx, induced male pattern fat distribution, bone growth, increase in sex drive and behavior. The hypothalamus regulates the amount of testosterone circulating the body by releasing follicle stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone (Nieschlag, Behre, and Nieschlag, 2012). Testosterone utilizes a negative feedback loop by acting upon the hypothalamus to inhibit GnRH release and on the pituitary

The above research shows that endocrine disruptors may pose the greatest risk during prenatal and early postnatal development when organ and neural systems are developing. Additionally, the consequences in animals linked to early exposure may not be apparent until later in life, but EDC’s can affect subfertility, premature reproductive senescence, and cancer. These issues are our greatest concern, and alternative precautionary strategies must be adopted, which including seeking to eliminate or minimize unnecessary risks to the fetus, even in the absence of clear proof of harm. Some of these steps can be taken by individuals, such as lifestyle changes in women who are pregnant, and reducing exposures through the release of chemicals to the environment. However, clinicians and scientist must educate law officials and the public about the threats of endocrine disruptors in order to adverse the trends of disease and destruction throughout the

The last endocrine disrupting chemical I will discuss is Triclosan. The chemical found in Triclosan is Triclocarban. The products that contain this endocrine disruptor are personal care products and antimicrobial products such as soaps and Colgate Total toothpaste. In (Greenfield’s 2016) view, "The effects Triclosan has on animal and human tissue is early puberty, poor sperm quality, infertility, obesity, cancer, impaired learning and memory exacerbate allergies and weakened muscle function." Even though most people try to prevent the health issues associated with Triclosan, the chemical is still exposable because of the people that still use it. For example, once the toothpaste is used it goes down the drain which is connected to the waterways, food, and environment. In addition, Triclosan is in the toothpaste Colgate Total which makes it a dangerous product but it is very successful and would take a lot to get it took off the market completely to prevent health issues.

| D141 Endocrine system – Life Science Team – Group 1Health & Nutrition Student online presentation

Several environmental toxicants including heavy metals, solvents, pesticides and endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) modulate the normal

In class, we watched a film that informed us about the growing irregularities in male reproduction and the possible environmental changes that are associated with it. These changes are not only affecting humans but also several land and aquatic species. Using several experimentations and observations, scientists aim to trace the effect of estrogenic compounds in the environment on males. If we are not able to determine the cause and stop it, the process and its modifications on the male reproductive system may eventually result in male sterility.

The endocrine system is a group of glands distributed throughout the human body. This group of glands secretes substances called hormones. These hormones are dumping into the bloodstream (Shier, Butler & Lewis, 2009). The endocrine system does not have a single anatomic location. It is dispersed throughout the human body. The final purpose of this process is to control, regulate, and coordinate the functioning of the human body. Some body functions can be activated or inhibited by hormones, which are secreted in very small quantities. The hormone related diseases may be due to hyper secretion, or a hypo secretion. The hormones secreted by the endocrine glands regulate growth, development and function of many tissues, and coordinate the

During recent years, numerous newspaper and magazine articles have suggested that humans may be at risk because small amounts of well known environmental contaminants, such as dioxin, PCBs and DDT, can affect hormone levels. Hormones are produced by the endocrine system as regulators of biological function in target organs. Because hormones play a critical role in early development, toxicological effects on the endocrine system often have an impact on the reproductive system. The term endocrine disruptor is used to describe chemicals that can mimic hormones and may either enhance or counteract their effects. It has been suggested that these hormone changes can, in turn, lead to a variety of health problems

7. Endocrine disruptors involve with chemicals that affect the activity and production of hormones in the endocrine system. They can be found in plastic bottles, cosmetics, and pesticides. In fact, it can affect the natural hormones and their receptors such as how they are made and

Xenoestrogen are estrogens that are not found in the human body. They are members of a wider class of chemicals, endocrine-disrupting compounds, that hamper with normal functioning of the endocrine system. One examples of xenoestrogen is bisphenol A (BPA) which is used in the manufacturing of plastics and is found in the linings of food cans. Studies have shown that females exposed to BPA in utero or during early life had changes in their developing mammary glands that could predispose them to cancer in adulthood. Another example of xenoestrogen is phthalates which is used to make plastic soft and flexible and can be found in cosmetic items to cleaning materials. They can bind weakly to both the estrogen receptor and the androgen receptor and can cross the

Estrogen receptors: Estrogens act via two types of receptors (ERα and ERβ), which are members of a large super family of proteins that function as ligand-activated transcription factors (Katzenellenbogen and Katzenellenbogen, 1996). Both receptors have direct differentiative influences on reproductive organs and have similar binding affinity to estradiol (Kuiper et al., 1997; Drummond et al., 1999). Although, there are significant amino acid differences in the regions of these receptors that would be expected to influence transcriptional activity (Hall and McDonnell, 1999). More recently, two Estrogen-Related Receptors, (ERRα/ERR1) and (ERRβ/ERR2) have also been characterized.

The field of study dealing with the endocrine system and its disorders is endocrinology, a

Many hormonal chemicals alter or block other organism’s hormones, and one of these hormonal chemicals is Endocrine disrupting chemicals known as EDCs. (Trachsel, 2008) thus, these chemicals are often known to be agents that are foreign to an organism system, a xenobiotic. (Trachsel, 2008) mainly found in aquatic environments, EDCs have a handful of harm effects on animals, humans and the ecosystem in general, which differs in the way they are regulated (homeostasis) due to the natural occurring hormones in animals or human bodies being eliminated when they start interfering with how the hormones responsible for growth, development and behavior are being synthesized and transported. (A. Snyder, 2003) on the contrary, micropollutants that