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Role of Phthalates as EDCs in Metabolic Disorders

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Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals-induced Metabolic Disorders and Treatment Strategies

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Abstract

Phthalates are water-insoluble organic plasticizers which provide flexibility to PVC-plastics and make them useable in pharmaceutical industry, medical devices, clothing, and food packings. These plasticizers leach out from such articles as they are not chemically bound to polymeric materials and act as toxicants. These contaminants are found everywhere in the environment. Humans are always exposed to different kinds of phthalates through food, inhalation, personal care products, clothing, medication, nutritional supplements, etc. The hand to mouth behavior of infants increases the risk of phthalates exposure at the crucial phase of their growth and development. The phthalates or their metabolites act as agonist or antagonist ligands and disrupt the chemical signaling of the endocrine hormones thus are regarded as endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). So the disrupted messaging by the hormones implicate a number of abnormalities, behavioral issues, and diseases like impaired neurodevelopment, decreased IQ and attention deficit, early puberty and fertility issues, sex anomalies, altered reproductive development, etc. The impaired endocrinal signaling cause perturbation of lipid and glucose homeostasis and result in obesity, overweight and insulin resistance and type II diabetes.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Applied Chemistry, Government College University, Faisalabad, Pakistan

    Tahir Farooq & Ali Raza

  2. Department of Biochemistry, Government College University, Faisalabad, Pakistan

    Arruje Hameed

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  1. Tahir Farooq
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  2. Arruje Hameed
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  3. Ali Raza
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Government College University Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Pakistan

    Muhammad Sajid Hamid Akash

  2. Department of Pharmacy, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Pakistan

    Kanwal Rehman

  3. Department of Chemistry, COMSATS University Islamabad, Islamabad, Pakistan

    Muhammad Zaffar Hashmi

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Farooq, T., Hameed, A., Raza, A. (2021). Role of Phthalates as EDCs in Metabolic Disorders. In: Akash, M.S.H., Rehman, K., Hashmi, M.Z. (eds) Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals-induced Metabolic Disorders and Treatment Strategies. Emerging Contaminants and Associated Treatment Technologies. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-45923-9_15

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