title: Into the world of steroids: a biochemical "keep in touch" in plants and animals.
abstract: Evolution of steroids such as sex hormones and ecdysteroids occurred independently in animal and plant kingdoms. Plants use phytoecdysteroids (PEs) to control defence interactions with some predators; furthermore, PEs can exert beneficial influence on many aspects of mammalian metabolism. Endocrine disrupting compounds such as the estrogen agonist bisphenol A (BPA) are widespread in the environment, posing a potential hormonal risk to animals and plants. Adverse BPA effects on reproductive development and function are coupled with other toxic effects. BPA bioremediation techniques could be developed by exploiting some tolerant plant species.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Biologia, Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy. anna.speranza@unibo.it
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Speranza
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001559:Benzhydryl Compounds; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D026461:Ecdysteroids / Q000378:metabolism*; D052244:Endocrine Disruptors / Q000378:metabolism; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000378:metabolism; D010636:Phenols / Q000378:metabolism; D010944:Plants / Q000378:metabolism*; D013256:Steroids / Q000378:metabolism*; D000098826:Bisphenol A Compounds
chemical_list: D001559:Benzhydryl Compounds; D026461:Ecdysteroids; D052244:Endocrine Disruptors; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D010636:Phenols; D013256:Steroids; C006780:bisphenol A; D000098826:Bisphenol A Compounds