Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are a broad group of environmental compounds that interfere with hormonal signalling pathways in animals, affecting development, reproduction, metabolism, and/or behaviour. While substantial progress has been made in identifying and regulating EDCs, traditional endpoints (hormonal levels or gross morphological abnormalities) are no longer sufficient to capture the full complexity of endocrine disruption. As a result, there is growing interest in expanding the range of endpoints used to assess EDC exposure and impact.
This Research Topic aims to redefine the landscape of endocrine disruptor research by moving beyond classical biomarkers and establishing novel, integrative endpoints for evaluating EDCs. With the increasing complexity of EDC exposures, including low-dose effects, non-monotonic responses, mixture toxicity, and non-canonical endocrine pathways, there is an urgent need to incorporate innovative approaches. We welcome studies performing multi-OMICs (i.e., transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics), neuroimaging, microbiome analysis, epigenetic profiling, artificial intelligence-based modelling, or physiologically relevant 3D in vitro systems. These tools offer unprecedented resolution for detecting subtle but biologically significant disruptions across molecular, cellular, reproductive, neurological, and behavioural domains in both experimental and wildlife models.
We welcome papers investigating innovative endpoints for endocrine disruption in animal models. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
• Non-EATS (estrogen, androgen, thyroid and steroidogenesis) pathways.
• Non-conventional endpoints in lipid and glucose metabolism, including alterations in the endocannabinoid system.
• Impact of EDCs on gonadal development and function.
• Neuroendocrine, neurodevelopmental and behavioural outcomes following perinatal or adulthood EDC exposures.
• Multi-omics approaches (transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics) to identify EDC effects.
• Gastrointestinal hormonal system, crosstalk among the gut microbiota-brain or gut microbiota-endocrine system alterations following chemical exposure.
• Cardiovascular and neurovascular endpoints in developing models.
• Intergenerational and epigenetic effects of endocrine disruptors.
• Comparative studies on sex-specific EDC responses in animal models.
• Crosstalk among different endocrine pathways.
This collection aims to bring together novel and mechanistically rich approaches that can strengthen environmental monitoring and toxicological risk assessment frameworks for endocrine disruptors.
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Article types
This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:
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