Crosstalk and considerations in endocrine disrupter research

The presence of endocrine disrupting chemicals in the environment has promp ted action on several fronts to assess the potential health risks of these compounds. To fully understand the mechanisms behind the observed endocrine disruption, crosstalk and other factors should be considered. In this arti cle we will discuss how crosstalk modulates estrogen action in several comm on assays and how this and other considerations appear to have been overloo ked. In addition, a paradigm shift from theoretical linear response pathway s to interaction maps should aid in the understanding and analysis of endoc rine disruption. (C) 2001 Harcourt Publishers Ltd.