Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 21
Effects of Environmental Endocrine Disruptors
and Phytoestrogens on the Kisspeptin System
Heather B. Patisaul
Abstract
Sex steroid hormones, most notably estradiol, play a pivotal role in the
sex-specifi c organization and function of the kisspeptin system. Endocrine-
disrupting compounds are anthropogenic or naturally occurring compounds that
interact with steroid hormone signaling. Thus, these compounds have the potential
to disrupt the sexually dimorphic ontogeny and function of kisspeptin signaling
pathways, resulting in adverse effects on neuroendocrine physiology. This chapter
reviews the small but growing body of evidence for endocrine disruption of the kiss-
peptin system by the exogenous estrogenic compounds bisphenol A, polychlorinated
biphenyl mixtures, and the phytoestrogen genistein. Disruption is region, sex, and
compound specifi c, and associated with shifts in the timing of pubertal onset, irreg-
ular estrous cycles, and altered sociosexual behavior. These effects highlight that
disruption of kisspeptin signaling pathways could have wide ranging effects across
multiple organ systems, and potentially underlies a suite of adverse human health
trends including precocious female puberty, idiopathic infertility, and metabolic
syndrome.
Introduction
Environmental endocrine disruptors (EDCs) have garnered considerable attention in
recent years, partly because of their omnipresence, but also because the endocrine dis-
ruption hypothesis provides a plausible explanation for the rapid prevalence of numer-
ous neuroendocrine disorders. For example, in the United States and other Western
countries, the age of female pubertal onset is undeniably advancing [
1
-
5
]. Although
theories regarding the underlying etiology of this trend abound, the specifi c confl uence
H. B. Patisaul (
*
)
Department of Biology , North Carolina State University , Raleigh , NC 27695 , USA
e-mail: Heather_Patisaul@ncsu.edu
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