Title:Is Technical-Grade Chlordane an Obesogen?
Volume: 28
Issue: 3
Author(s): Juliana F. Silva, Bruno P. Moreira, Luís Rato, Maria de Lourdes Pereira, Pedro F. Oliveira and Marco G. Alves*
Affiliation:
- Department of Microscopy, Laboratory of Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar (ICBAS), University of Porto, P.O. Box 4050-313, Porto,Portugal
Keywords:
Obesity, obesogens, endocrine disruptor, organochlorine, persistent organic pollutant, technical-grade
chlordane.
Abstract: The prevalence of obesity has tripled in recent decades and is now considered an alarming
public health problem. In recent years, a group of endocrine disruptors, known as obesogens, have
been directly linked to the obesity epidemic. Its etiology is generally associated with a sedentary
lifestyle, a high-fat diet and genetic predisposition, but environmental factors, such as obesogens,
have also been reported as contributors for this pathology. In brief, obesogens are exogenous chemical
compounds that alter metabolic processes and/or energy balance and appetite, thus predisposing
to weight gain. Although this theory is still recent, the number of compounds with suspected obesogenic
activity has steadily increased over the years, though many of them remain a matter of debate.
Technical-grade chlordane is an organochlorine pesticide widely present in the environment,
albeit at low concentrations. Highly lipophilic compounds can be metabolized by humans and animals
into more toxic and stable compounds that are stored in fat tissue and consequently pose a danger
to the human body, including the physiology of adipose tissue, which plays an important role in
weight regulation. In addition, technical-grade chlordane is classified as a persistent organic pollutant,
a group of chemicals whose epidemiological studies are associated with metabolic disorders,
including obesity. Herein, we discuss the emerging roles of obesogens as threats to public health. We
particularly discuss the relevance of chlordane persistence in the environment and how its effects on
human and animal health provide evidence for its role as an endocrine disruptor with possible obesogenic
activity.
