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Environmental Impact on the Hypothalamus–Pituitary–Adrenal Axis

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Environmental Endocrinology and Endocrine Disruptors

Part of the book series: Endocrinology ((ENDOCR))

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Abstract

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDC) are exogenous compounds interfering with the actions of hormones at several steps. They are part of our environment and come in contact with humans frequently, through different routes. EDCs have shown deleterious effects on the endocrine system, mainly on the thyroid gland and steroid hormones, in the context of female and male reproduction. The hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis plays a pivotal role in the regulation of homeostasis, through regulation of adaptation to stress at multiple levels. Alterations of the HPA axis lead to severe metabolic and cardiovascular diseases, making this complex system a central player for human health. The HPA axis is a potential preferential target for disruption due to the chemical properties of EDCs and the specific features of the adrenal glands. Nonetheless, the consequences of EDCs exposure on the HPA axis have been underinvestigated to date in humans. The first part of this chapter provides an extensive summary of the mechanisms of HPA axis adaptation to environmental stimuli. The second part describes the current evidence on the deleterious effects of the main EDCs on the HPA axis.

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  1. All authors contributed equally.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Propaedeutic Internal Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece

    Krystallenia I. Alexandraki & Ariadni Spyroglou

  2. Klinik für Endokrinologie, Diabetologie und Klinische Ernährung, UniversitätsSpital Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland

    Ariadni Spyroglou

  3. Endocrinology and Diabetes Prevention and Care Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, S. Orsola Policlinic, Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy

    Lorenzo Tucci & Guido Di Dalmazi

Authors
  1. Krystallenia I. Alexandraki
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  2. Ariadni Spyroglou
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  3. Lorenzo Tucci
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  4. Guido Di Dalmazi
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Guido Di Dalmazi .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Chirurgia, Sezione di Endocrinologia, Unità di Andrologia e Medicina della Riproduzione e della Sessualità Maschile e Femminile (FERTISEXCARES), Università Federico II di Napoli, Naples, Italy

    Rosario Pivonello

  2. Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece

    Evanthia Diamanti-Kandarakis

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Alexandraki, K.I., Spyroglou, A., Tucci, L., Di Dalmazi, G. (2023). Environmental Impact on the Hypothalamus–Pituitary–Adrenal Axis. In: Pivonello, R., Diamanti-Kandarakis, E. (eds) Environmental Endocrinology and Endocrine Disruptors . Endocrinology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-39044-0_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-39044-0_4

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