Toxicology of Biological Communication: Lessons from Endocrine Disruptors and the Exposome

by Robert Barouki (Author), Xavier Coumoul (Author), Etienne Blanc (Author)

Communication is vital for biological systems. This book covers how environmental stressors can disrupt these communications leading to adverse outcomes and goes beyond endocrine disruption. Since the endocrine system is primarily a communication system, endocrine disruption is the clearest example of communication toxicology. However, other physiological systems rely heavily on communication and therefore its disruption by toxicants can have considerable impacts. This is illustrated with the effects of toxicants on the nervous and the immune system. The exposome concept has considerably changed the field of toxicology as it tends to integrate different exposures and highlights their interactions. This book discusses how it has also fueled the relevance of communication between different systems to better understand the mechanisms of toxicity. The dialogue between chemicals and the dietary imbalance as well as between chemicals and psycho-social stress is further discussed and integrated into the global communication disruption concept. This book is intended for researchers, scientists, students, NGO experts, and all interested citizens with some biological background.