| Environmental Signaling: A Biological Context for Endocrine Disruption Ann Oliver Cheek,1 Peter M. Vonier,1,2 Eva Oberdörster,1 Bridgette Collins Burow,1,2 and John A. McLachlan1,2,3 1Tulane-Xavier Center for Bioenvironmental Research, Environmental Endocrinology Laboratory, 2Molecular and Cellular Biology Program, 3Department of Pharmacology, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana Abstract
Endogenous and exogenous chemical signals have evolved as a means for organisms to respond to physical or biological stimuli in the environment. Sensitivity to these signals can make organisms vulnerable to inadvertent signals from xenobiotics. In this review we discuss how various chemicals can interact with steroidlike signaling pathways, especially estrogen. Numerous compounds have estrogenic activity, including steroids, phytoestrogens, and synthetic chemicals. We compare bioavailability, metabolism, interaction with receptors, and interaction with cell-signaling pathways among these three structurally diverse groups in order to understand how these chemicals influence physiological responses. Based on their mechanisms of action, chemical steroid mimics could plausibly be associated with recent adverse health trends in humans and animals. -- Environ Health Perspect 106(Suppl 1) :5-10 (1998) . http://ehpnet1.niehs.nih.gov/docs/1998/Suppl-1/5-10cheek/abstract.html Key words: endocrine disruption, environmental estrogens, hormones, hormone receptors, signaling
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