The increase in the human population has been one of the main causes for the intense release of chemical contaminants with toxic potential effects in the environment worldwide. These contaminants have enhanced the disturbance of the environmental balance on a global scale and in the aquatic ecosystems, the impairment is more evident. Many of these contaminants are considered endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) which have the ability to interact with the neuroendocrine system and alter the physiological responses of animals. EDCs are substances capable of affecting, at different biological levels, and/or interfere with the hormone synthesis, receptors, hormone metabolism, tissue structure, and the behavior of organisms that are exposed to such substances. Many compounds have been described as EDCs, among them plasticizers, metals, herbicides, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and nanomaterials. Studies in aquatic ecotoxicology, using different approaches, have investigated the impact of these contaminants at the molecular, cellular, organismal, individual, and ecological levels.
The aim of this scientific area is, i) to understand and to predict the effects of these contaminants in real-world systems, at large spatial scales; ii) to demonstrate the mechanism of action of these EDCs in different phylogenetic groups. In this scenario, it is important to evaluate the ecological dynamic of the aquatic environment and accurately choose the organisms that are ecologically relevant in the studied location.
Original Research and Reviews articles addressing the following topics and other similar studies are welcome:
-Acute, sub chronic and chronic exposure studies.
-Environmental studies.
-Reproductive disruption.
-Thyroid disruption.
- Adrenal/inter-renal disruption.
-Metabolic disruption.
-Behavioral alteration.
-Stress responses.
-Biomarkers at different biological organization levels.
-Epigenetics and transgenerational effects of EDCs.
-Dose-response characteristics of EDCs.
The increase in the human population has been one of the main causes for the intense release of chemical contaminants with toxic potential effects in the environment worldwide. These contaminants have enhanced the disturbance of the environmental balance on a global scale and in the aquatic ecosystems, the impairment is more evident. Many of these contaminants are considered endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) which have the ability to interact with the neuroendocrine system and alter the physiological responses of animals. EDCs are substances capable of affecting, at different biological levels, and/or interfere with the hormone synthesis, receptors, hormone metabolism, tissue structure, and the behavior of organisms that are exposed to such substances. Many compounds have been described as EDCs, among them plasticizers, metals, herbicides, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and nanomaterials. Studies in aquatic ecotoxicology, using different approaches, have investigated the impact of these contaminants at the molecular, cellular, organismal, individual, and ecological levels.
The aim of this scientific area is, i) to understand and to predict the effects of these contaminants in real-world systems, at large spatial scales; ii) to demonstrate the mechanism of action of these EDCs in different phylogenetic groups. In this scenario, it is important to evaluate the ecological dynamic of the aquatic environment and accurately choose the organisms that are ecologically relevant in the studied location.
Original Research and Reviews articles addressing the following topics and other similar studies are welcome:
-Acute, sub chronic and chronic exposure studies.
-Environmental studies.
-Reproductive disruption.
-Thyroid disruption.
- Adrenal/inter-renal disruption.
-Metabolic disruption.
-Behavioral alteration.
-Stress responses.
-Biomarkers at different biological organization levels.
-Epigenetics and transgenerational effects of EDCs.
-Dose-response characteristics of EDCs.
