Regulatory needs and activities to address the retinoid system in the context of endocrine disruption: The European viewpoint

• Published in: Reproductive toxicology (Elmsford, N.Y.) N.Y.), 2020-04, Vol.93, p.250-258
• Main Authors: Grignard, Elise, Håkansson, Helen, Munn, Sharon
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adverse Outcome Pathway (AOP); Animals; Endocrine disrupters; Endocrine Disruptors; Europe; Government Regulation; Humans; Medicin och hälsovetenskap; Regulatory toxicology; Retinoic acid; Retinoic acid receptor families (RARs, RXRs); Retinoids; Vitamin A
• ISSN: 0890-6238; 1873-1708; 1873-1708
• DOI: 10.1016/j.reprotox.2020.03.002

•Endocrine disruption is a complex and important toxicological problem to consider.•The retinoid system is evolutionary conserved and central for endocrine regulation.•Regulatory tests are missing for assessing the retinoid system at any life-stage.•Ongoing work by OECD member states will identify knowledge gaps and testing needs. Endocrine disruption continues to be a matter of high concern, and a subject of intensive activities at the public, political, regulatory and academic levels. Currently, available regulatory test guidelines (TGs) relevant to the identification of endocrine disrupters are largely limited to estrogen, androgen, thyroid and steroidogenesis (EATS) pathways. Thus, there is an increasing interest and need to develop test methods, biomarkers, and Adverse Outcome Pathways (AOPs), for identification and evaluation of endocrine disrupters in addition to the EATS pathways. An activity focusing on the retinoid system has been jointly initiated by the Swedish Chemicals Agency and the European Commission. The retinoid system is involved in fundamental life processes and has been described, in previous work at the OECD, as a system susceptible to environmental endocrine disruption, the disruption of which could contribute to the increasing incidence of certain disorders in humans and wildlife populations.