Antiandrogenic Effects of Environmental Endocrine Disruptors

Steroid hormone receptors regulate embryonic development and sex differentiation by acting as ligand inducible transcription factors. Disrupting these processes can result in transient yet irreversible developmental defects. Several environmental chemicals have recently been identified with antiandrogen activity that have the potential to disrupt normal male sex development in utero. Detection of chemicals with the potential to disrupt normal androgen action is critical to protect human and ecological health. The molecular mechanisms by which several of these environmental chemicals act have been characterized and yielded insight into the development of in vitro and in vivo screening assays to detect chemicals with antiandrogen activity. These mechanisms and efforts to develop screening assays are discussed in the context of current endocrine disruptor screening and testing strategies.