COMPRENDO: Focus and approach.
Tens of thousands of man-made chemicals are in regular use and discharged into the environment. Many of them are known to interfere with the hormonal systems in humans and wildlife. Given the complexity of endocrine systems, there are many ways in which endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) can affect the body's signaling system, and this makes unraveling the mechanisms of action of these chemicals difficult. A major concern is that some of these EDCs appear to be biologically active at extremely low concentrations. There is growing evidence to indicate that the guiding principle of traditional toxicology that "the dose makes the poison" may not always be the case because some EDCs do not induce the classical dose-response relationships. The European Union project COMPRENDO (Comparative Research on Endocrine Disrupters--Phylogenetic Approach and Common Principles focussing on Androgenic/Antiandrogenic Compounds) therefore aims to develop an understanding of potential health problems posed by androgenic and antiandrogenic compounds (AACs) to wildlife and humans by focusing on the commonalities and differences in responses to AACs across the animal kingdom (from invertebrates to vertebrates) .
Schulte-Oehlmann
Ulrike
U
Department of Ecology and Evolution, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Schulte-oehlmann@zoology.uni-frankfurt.de
Albanis
Triantafyllos
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Allera
Axel
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Bachmann
Jean
J
Berntsson
Pia
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Beresford
Nicola
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Carnevali
Daniela Candia
DC
Ciceri
Francesca
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Dagnac
Thierry
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Falandysz
Jerzy
J
Galassi
Silvana
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Hala
David
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Janer
Gemma
G
Jeannot
Roger
R
Jobling
Susan
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King
Isabella
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Klingmüller
Dietrich
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Kloas
Werner
W
Kusk
Kresten Ole
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Levada
Ramon
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Lo
Susan
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Lutz
Ilka
I
Oehlmann
Jörg
J
Oredsson
Stina
S
Porte
Cinta
C
Rand-Weaver
Marian
M
Sakkas
Vasilis
V
Sugni
Michela
M
Tyler
Charles
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van Aerle
Ronny
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van Ballegoy
Christoph
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Wollenberger
Leah
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D000728:Androgens / Q000009:adverse effects; D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors / Q000009:adverse effects; D000818:Animals; D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000379:methods*; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques; D052244:Endocrine Disruptors / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects; D016678:Genome / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008386:Marine Biology; D008954:Models, Biological; D009994:Osmolar Concentration; D013045:Species Specificity
D000728:Androgens; D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors; D052244:Endocrine Disruptors