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Updated: May 10, 2026

Assessment of the Effects of Endocrine Disrupting Compounds on the Development of Vertebrate Neural Network Function Using Multi-electrode Arrays
Published on: April 26, 2018
[Bisphenol A and hormone-dependent cancers: potential risk and mechanism]
1Académie nationale de Médecine, Inserm U896, Université de Montpellier1, Institut de recherche en cancérologie de Montpellier, CRLC U896 Parc Euromédecine, Val d'Aurelle, 208, rue des Apothicaires, F-34298 Montpellier Cedex 5, France. henri.rochefort@inserm.fr
Abstract:
Being concerned by the increasing incidence of breast, prostate and testicular cancers, we overviewed the literature on the potential carcinogenic effect of endocrine disruptors (ED). It is extremely difficult to obtain the epidemiological proof of a carcinogenic effect of one ED in human for multi-factorial diseases and the high number of confusing factors. However, many experimental studies in rodents on bis-phenol A (BPA) and its assay in human blood and urine, strongly suggest that BPA might increase the risk of hormone dependant cancers. Contrary to the mitogenic effect of estradiol, directly mediated in mammary cells by the classical nuclear estrogen receptor α, the mechanisms of the deleterious effect of BPA at low doses and in utero remain unknown since the molecular and cellular target(s) have not been defined. Based on all deleterious effects of BPA, France has banned the use of BPA in all food packaging. This should force the food industry to collaborate with members of public research to rapidly find safer substitutes to BPA.
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