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Review
. 2024 Jan 30:15:1294205.
doi: 10.3389/fendo.2024.1294205. eCollection 2024.

A comprehensive review on endocrine toxicity of gaseous components and particulate matter in smog

Ammara Saleem  1 , Tanzeela Awan  2 , Muhammad Furqan Akhtar  3
Affiliations
Review

A comprehensive review on endocrine toxicity of gaseous components and particulate matter in smog

Ammara Saleem et al. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). .

Abstract

Smog is a form of extreme air pollution which comprises of gases such as ozone, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen and carbon oxides, and solid particles including particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10). Different types of smog include acidic, photochemical, and Polish. Smog and its constituents are hazardaous to human, animals, and plants. Smog leads to plethora of morbidities such as cancer, endocrine disruption, and respiratory and cardiovascular disorders. Smog components alter the activity of various hormones including thyroid, pituitary, gonads and adrenal hormones by altering regulatory genes, oxidation status and the hypothalamus-pituitary axis. Furthermore, these toxicants are responsible for the development of metabolic disorders, teratogenicity, insulin resistance, infertility, and carcinogenicity of endocrine glands. Avoiding fossil fuel, using renewable sources of energy, and limiting gaseous discharge from industries can be helpful to avoid endocrine disruption and other toxicities of smog. This review focuses on the toxic implications of smog and its constituents on endocrine system, their toxicodynamics and preventive measures to avoid hazardous health effects.

Keywords: ambient air pollution; endocrine disruption; infertility; metabolic diseases; ozone; smog.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The author(s) declared that they were an editorial board member of Frontiers, at the time of submission. This had no impact on the peer review process and the final decision.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Smog types, composition, and toxic effects of smog on the body.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Mechanism of formation of smog and their adverse impact on the Endocrine system.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Mechanism of endocrine damage by Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDC). (A) Mechanism of EDC induced endocrine disruption (B) molecular basis for EDC induced endocrine disruption.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Prisma diagram for selection, review and analysis of studies.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Effect of smog exposure during pregnancy.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Effect of smog exposure on the reproductive system in males and females. Exposure to SO2, PM2.5 or NO triggers various cell-damaging processes such as oxidative stress, inflammation, apoptosis, and DNA methylation leading to altered sperm quality and concentration in males while induce abortion and alters hormone level in females. Low birth weight, birth defects and hypertension in mothers are the consequences of their exposure during pregnancy etc.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Impact of smog components on the different organs of the Endocrine system.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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