There is growing concern regarding the health and safety issues of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs). Long-term exposure to EDCs has serious adverse health effects through both hormone-direct and hormone-indirect ways. Accordingly, some EDCs can be a pathogen and an inducer to the susceptibility of disease, even if they have a very low affinity on the estrogen receptor, or no estrogenic effect. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress recently attracted attention in this research area. Because ER and ER stress could be key regulators of the EDC’s adverse effects, such as the malfunction of the organ, as well as the death, apoptosis, and proliferation of a cell. In this review, we focused on finding evidence which shows that EDCs could be a trigger for ER stress and provide specific examples of EDCs, which are known to cause ER stress currently.

Arsenic in inorganic form is a known human carcinogen; even low levels of arsenic can interfere with the endocrine system. In mammalian development, arsenic exposure can cause a malformation of fetuses and be lethal. This study examined the effects of sodium arsenite (SA) as the inorganic form of arsenic in embryonic bodies (EBs) with three germ layers in the developmental stage. This condition is closer to the physiological condition than a 2D cell culture. The SA treatment inhibited EBs from differentiating into cardiomyocytes. A treatment with 1 μM SA delayed the initiation of beating, presenting successful cardiomyocyte differentiation. In particular, mitochondria function analysis showed that SA downregulated the transcription level of the Complex IV gene. SA increased the fission form of mitochondrion identified by the mitochondria number and length. In addition, a treatment with D-penicillamine, an arsenic chelator, restored the beat of EBs against SA, but not mitochondrial dysfunction. These findings suggest that SA is a toxicant that induces mitochondrial damage and interferes with myocardial differentiation and embryogenesis. This study suggests that more awareness of SA exposure during pregnancy is required because even minuscule amounts have irreversible adverse effects on embryogenesis through mitochondria dysfunction.

The female reproductive system becomes fertile through the action of hormones involved in the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis. On the other hand, estrogen-like endocrine disruptors released into the environment come into contact with humans by various routes and affect the reproductive system. Exposure to these chemicals can cause problems with the reproductive process, from egg ovulation to implantation, or cause female reproductive diseases. These reproductive problems cause infertility. Decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (D5) is used for lubrication in silicone polymers, households, and personal care products. In the case of D5, it is discharged through factory wastewater and can bioaccumulate. Therefore, it accumulates in the human body. In this study, D5 was administered orally for four weeks to determine the effects of D5 on the reproductive process. As a result, D5 increases the number of follicles in the ovary and suppresses the expression of genes related to the growth of follicles. In addition, it increases the gonadotropin hormone, inducing estradiol enhancement and progesterone reduction. Because of these changes in the reproductive system when exposed to D5, the industry should reconsider using D5.