Endocrine disruptors and the developing immune system

Abstract

During development, the immune system intimately communicates with other systems and tissues to shape their form and function and is similarly shaped in return. This process is highly regulated, making the developing immune system highly sensitive to exogenous insults. Modulation that occurs during development may persist through adulthood, resulting in an increased risk of later-life diseases and disorders. The adverse health outcomes that may arise from developmental immunotoxicity (DIT) are extremely varied and can present symptomatically in systems other than the immune system. The close connection that the immune system shares with other systems and tissues also puts the immune system at risk from secondary effects that arise from primary effects in other systems. The endocrine system also is sensitive to exogenous influences; because it works closely with the immune system to influence development from gestation through early life, endocrine disruption also may induce DIT. This short review therefore considers the role of endocrine disruption in DIT and highlights endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) with known DIT effects. Of special importance are microglia, the resident immune cells of the central nervous system that are highly influenced by endogenous endocrine signals during development and are therefore sensitive to effects from exposure to EDCs.