Endocrine Abstracts

Objective: Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are persistent organic pollutants that that have been reported to cause a variety of toxic effects, including inflammation and cancer, through binding to the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR). In turn, AhR promotes xenobiotic detoxification and antioxidant defense, by up-regulating specific responsive genes, the so-called “AhR gene battery”. AhR is also involved in modulation of immune response, by regulating programmed cell ...

Objectives: The interaction between genetic predisposing factors and environmental triggers is crucial for the development of HT. In last decades, the steady rise in frequency of HT in developed countries pointed to a strong influence of changing environmental factors, including increased pollution. Air pollutants, like dioxins and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, are ligands of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR). This ligand-activated transcription factor, involved in pollu...

Background: Lymphocytic infiltration and inflammation in autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITDs) results in accumulation of HA, contributing to the pathogenesis of both thyroidal and extra-thyroidal (ophthalmopathy, pretibial dermopathy and mixedema) manifestations of AITDs. HA fragments, originating from native HA during tissue inflammation and injury, in turn promote the expression of different mediators of oxidative stress and inflammation, by interacting with the Toll-like rec...

Background: PCBs are chemical pollutants able to promote inflammation and carcinogenesis. They can accumulate in human tissues through the food chain causing a variety of adverse health effects. The NF-E2 p45-related factor 2 (NRF2) and the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) are ligand activated transcription factors controlling pathways modulating xenobiotic metabolism. Increasing evidence indicate the involvement of AhR in regulating extracellular matrix (ECM) homeostasis. ECM ...

Background: PCBs are persistent organic pollutants, able to affect thyroid function (endocrine disruptors) and promote inflammation through multiple mechanisms. The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), a ligand-activated transcription factor able to bind dioxins and dioxin-like pollutants including PCBs, play a key role in xenobiotic response, by up-regulating specific responsive genes, the so-called “AhR gene battery”, including cytochrome P450 1A1 (CYP1A1) and Nuclear ...