Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals Interfere With Placental Thyroid Hormone Activity Study by R.Thomas Zoeller

A study led by biologist R. Thomas Zoeller of the University of Massachusetts Amherst provides evidence that endocrine-disrupting chemicals such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) found in flame retardant cloth, paint, adhesives and electrical transformers, can interfere with thyroid hormone action in pregnant women and may affect the fetus.

The researchers chose to analyze placental tissue because it likely reflects what is occurring in the fetus. Using placental tissue samples from 164 pregnant women with no thyroid disease, they analyzed the messenger RNA expression for the enzyme CYP1A1.The researchers found that in pregnancies where the placenta contained higher levels of CYP1A1, there were signs of thyroid disruption. Levels of two thyroid-regulated genes tended to be higher in these pregnancies, although the mother’s overall thyroid hormone levels did not change.

Results appeared in an online edition and in the December print edition of the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. News-Medical.net. Medical Express. Science 2.0. Science Daily. Science Codex. MedIndia.net. Growingyourbaby.com.

The work was a collaboration between scientists in the biology department at UMass Amherst and physician scientists led by Larissa Takser at the University of Sherbrooke, Québec.

The UMass News & Media article, is available here.