Xenobiotics estrogenic effects

Bulger WH, Kupfer D. 1983a. Effect of xenobiotic estrogens and structurally related compounds on 2-hydroxylation of estradiol and on other monooxygenase activities in rat liver. Biochem Pharmacol 32(6) 1005-1010. 

Animal studies have demonstrated that some xenobiotics have a greater impact on males, while others more severely affect females. In some instances, testosterone and, in others, estrogens exert stimulating effects on the action of enzymes that metabolize xenobiotics. This research has been little studied in man but is worth considering when one is confronted with the greater sensitivity of one gender to particular foreign chemicals. 

A variety of compounds in the environment have been shown to display agonistic or antagonistic activity toward the ER, including natural products and synthetic compounds [22-28], The concern over xenobiotics binding to the ER has created a need to screen and monitor compounds that can modulate endocrine effects. This has been underscored by US legislation in 1995 and 1996 by mandating that chemicals and formulations must be screened for potential estrogenic activity before they are manufactured or used in certain processes [29,30],... 

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