Chapter 2.4 - Endocrine disrupting chemicals induce the epigenetic transgenerational inheritance of disease

Abstract

All environmental factors from nutrition, temperature, stress, toxicants, and endocrine disruptors can promote the epigenetic transgenerational inheritance of disease and phenotypic variation in all organisms. Epigenetics is the molecular mechanism involved in environmental actions on the genome to promote cellular and physiological change. The current chapter focuses on a subclass of toxicants that alter endocrine signaling, termed endocrine disruptor chemicals (EDC), to promote abnormal physiology and disease. A review of the published literature demonstrates that not only the individual is exposed, but all subsequent generations through germline alterations in epigenetics are impacted by these environmental factors, including EDCs. Therefore, this nongenetic form of inheritance promotes “generational toxicology” in future generations. The actions of EDCs on epigenetics and epigenetic transgenerational inheritance of disease are reviewed. As the impacts of exposures such as EDCs are not just on the individual exposed, but also impact future generations, this needs to be considered to understand the impacts of EDCs.