Submit to IJERPH Review for IJERPH Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Environment, Endocrine Disruptors and Cutaneous Effects

Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Published Papers

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Science and Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 December 2020) | Viewed by 15904

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Marike Leijs

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Rheinisch-Westfalische Technische Hochschule Aachen, Department of Dermatology and Allergology, Aachen, Germany
Interests: dermatotoxicology; PCBs; dioxin; POPs; endocrine disruption; biomonitoring; immunosuppression; oxidative stress; dermatooncology; hyperpigmentation; adverse skin reactions

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Man-made environmental pollutants are globally widespread and have adverse effects on the environment as well as on human health. Although most of the older persistent organic pollutants (POPs), like the dirty dozen named by the Stockholm Convention, are currently forbidden in the Western world, levels are still measurable in human serum worldwide due to their long half-lives (e.g., polychlorinated biphenyls, dioxins). In addition, their usage is not strictly banned in developing countries.

At present, mankind is exposed to multiple (possible) endocrine-disrupting compounds (e.g. parabens, phtalates, perfluorinated compounds, rests of medication in drinking water, organic UV-filters like octocrylene, aromatic amines (pAAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in tattoo inkt, and bisphenols) through different routes (direct skin contact, ingestion, inhalation).

In this Special Issue, we aim to improve our understanding of the effects of these compounds and evaluate their current levels. Health effects following exposure to environmental pollutants will be outlined with an emphasis on cutaneous effects.

We welcome papers that highlight new findings or emerging themes on endocrine disruptors of all kinds and their mixtures. Subject areas may include but are not limited to: epidemiological studies; biomonitoring; risk assessment; effects on biological systems; deepening of the toxicological aspects; policy topics; human studies using different methods across the exposure and life stage and cutaneous exposure and effects. We also encourage review articles or case reports.

Dr. Marike Leijs
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Endocrine disruptors
PCBs
Risk assessment
Biomonitoring
Carcinogenesis
Dermatotoxicology
Adverse skin reactions
Oxidative stress
Immunosuppression

Published Papers (4 papers)

Download All Papers

Research

Jump to: Review

12 pages, 778 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Upregulation of CCL7, CCL20, CXCL2, IL-1β, IL-6 and MMP-9 in Skin Samples of PCB Exposed Individuals—A Preliminary Study

by Marike Leijs, Katharina Fietkau, Hans F. Merk, Thomas Schettgen, Thomas Kraus and André Esser

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(18), 9711; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph18189711 - 15 Sep 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1956

Abstract

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are well known immunotoxic and carcinogenic compounds. Although cutaneous symptoms are the hallmark of exposure to these compounds, exact pathophysiologic mechanisms are not well understood. We took skin biopsies from moderately high PCB exposed workers (n = 25) after an informed consent and investigated the expression of immunological markers such as CCL-7, CCL-20, CXCL2, IL-1β and IL-6, as well as the matrix metalloproteinase MMP-9, EPGN and NRF2 by RT-qPCR, and compared expression levels with plasma PCB levels. Statistical analyses showed a significant correlation between CCL-20, CXCL2, IL-6, IL-1β, CCL-7 and MMP-9 and PCB serum levels. EPGN and NRF2 were not correlated to PCB levels in the blood. We found a significant correlation of genes involved in autoimmune, auto-inflammatory and carcinogenesis in skin samples of PCB exposed individuals with elevated plasma PCB levels. Confirmation of these findings needs to be performed in bigger study groups and larger gen-sets, including multiple housekeeping genes. Further study needs to be performed to see whether a chronical exposure to these and similar compounds can cause higher incidence of malignancies and inflammatory disease. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environment, Endocrine Disruptors and Cutaneous Effects)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

12 pages, 345 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Impact of Mother’s Living Environment Exposure on Genome Damage, Immunological Status, and Sex Hormone Levels in Newborns

by Aleksandra Fucic, Mirta Starcevic, Nada Sindicic Dessardo, Drago Batinic, Sasa Kralik, Jure Krasic, Nino Sincic, Damir Loncarevic and Vedrana Guszak

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(10), 3402; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph17103402 - 13 May 2020

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2190

Abstract

Background: The aim of this study was to compare for the first time IL-6 (Interleukin 6), testosterone (T) and estradiol (E) levels, their ratio (E/T), micronucleus (MN), and nuclear bridge (NB) frequency between newborns with regard to their mother’s residency and diet. Our results should enable an assessment of the possible environmental endocrine effects and interaction between biomarkers, pointing to possible associated health risks. Methods: Fifty full-term newborns of both sexes, whose mothers were healthy and not occupationally exposed to any known carcinogen, were analyzed. All of the mothers filled in a detailed questionnaire. Results: The results showed significantly higher levels of E in newborns of mothers with agricultural residency than those born by mothers with urban residency. Significantly, lower levels of E were measured in newborns of mothers who drank milk and carbonated beverages more frequently. Testosterone was significantly higher in boys of mothers with agricultural residency than from mothers with urban residency. Residence and other parameters had no impact on the difference in MN frequency. IL-6 levels were higher in newborns of mothers with agricultural residency. NB levels were significantly associated with E. A significant association between E levels and IL-6 was found. Conclusion: Our results were the first to show a significant impact of the mother’s agricultural residency and diet on their newborns’ sex hormone and IL-6 levels and their association. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environment, Endocrine Disruptors and Cutaneous Effects)

17 pages, 7772 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Degradation of Bisphenol A by CeCu Oxide Catalyst in Catalytic Wet Peroxide Oxidation: Efficiency, Stability, and Mechanism

by Zhaojie Jiao, Ligong Chen, Guilin Zhou, Haifeng Gong, Xianming Zhang, Yunqi Liu and Xu Gao

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16(23), 4675; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph16234675 - 23 Nov 2019

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2799

Abstract

The CeCu oxide catalyst CC450 was prepared by citric acid complex method and the catalytic wet peroxide oxidation (CWPO) reaction system was established with bisphenol A (BPA) as the target pollutant. By means of characterization, this research investigated the phase structure, surface morphology, reducibility, surface element composition, and valence of the catalyst before and after reuse. The effects of catalyst dosage and pH on the removal efficiency of BPA were also investigated. Five reuse experiments were carried out to investigate the reusability of the catalyst. In addition, this research delved into the changes of pH value, hydroxyl radical concentration, and ultraviolet-visible spectra of BPA in CWPO reaction system. The possible intermediate products were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The catalytic mechanism and degradation pathway were also discussed. The results showed that after reaction of 65 min, the removal of BPA and total organic carbon (TOC) could reach 87.6% and 77.9%, respectively. The catalyst showed strong pH adaptability and had high removal efficiency of BPA in the range of pH 1.6–7.9. After five reuses, the removal of BPA remained above 86.7%, with the structure of the catalyst remaining stable to a large extent. With the reaction proceeding, the pH value of the reaction solution increased, the concentration of OH radicals decreased, and the ultraviolet-visible spectrum of BPA shifted to the short wavelength direction, that is, the blue shift direction. The catalysts degraded BPA rapidly in CWPO reaction system and the C–C bond or O–H bond in BPA could be destroyed in a very short time. Also, there may have been two main degradation paths of phenol and ketone. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environment, Endocrine Disruptors and Cutaneous Effects)

► Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Review

Jump to: Research

11 pages, 1318 KiB

Open AccessReview

Chloracne and Hyperpigmentation Caused by Exposure to Hazardous Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Ligands

by Masutaka Furue and Gaku Tsuji

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16(23), 4864; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph16234864 - 03 Dec 2019

Cited by 30 | Viewed by 8282

Abstract

Dioxins and dioxin-like compounds are environmental pollutants that are hazardous to human skin. They can be present in contaminated soil, water, and air particles (such as ambient PM_2.5). Exposure to a high concentration of dioxins induces chloracne and hyperpigmentation. These chemicals exert their toxic effects by activating the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) which is abundantly expressed in skin cells, such as keratinocytes, sebocytes, and melanocytes. Ligation of AHR by dioxins induces exaggerated acceleration of epidermal terminal differentiation (keratinization) and converts sebocytes toward keratinocyte differentiation, which results in chloracne formation. AHR activation potently upregulates melanogenesis in melanocytes by upregulating the expression of melanogenic enzymes, which results in hyperpigmentation. Because AHR-mediated oxidative stress contributes to these hazardous effects, antioxidative agents may be potentially therapeutic for chloracne and hyperpigmentation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environment, Endocrine Disruptors and Cutaneous Effects)

► Show Figures