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Article: Environmental estrogens induce mast cell degranulation and enhance IgE-Mediated release of allergic mediators.(Research)
- Article from:
- Environmental Health Perspectives
- Article date:
- January 1, 2007
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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BACKGROUND: Prevalence and morbidity of allergic diseases have increased over the last decades. Based on the recently recognized differences in asthma prevalence between the sexes, we have examined the effect of endogenous estrogens on a key element of the allergic response. Some lipophilic pollutants have estrogen-like activities and are termed environmental estrogens. These pollutants tend to degrade slowly in the environment and to bioaccumulate and bioconcentrate in the food chain; they also have long biological half-lives.
OBJECTIVES: Our goal in this study was to identify possible pathogenic roles for environmental estrogens in the development of allergic ...