Ian Shaw
Director of Biochemistry & Professor of Toxicology, University of Canterbury, Christchurch
It is becoming increasingly clear that environmental pollutants and food components that mimic hormones are having significant effects on growth and development, particularly in utero and during the first years of life. The mechanisms of toxicity of these hormone mimics are not fully understood, but they are likely to directly affect hormone-controlled growth and development by antagonising or agonising hormone receptors, interfere with hormone synthesis and degradation feedback mechanisms and/or act via epigenetic mechanisms.
Ian will discuss the mechanisms by which specific hormone mimics might affect growth and development with reference to his own work on estrogenic compounds (e.g. butylparaben – a preservative used in cosmetics), chemicals that inhibit testosterone synthesis (e.g. dibutylphthalate – a plasticiser and insecticide) and thyroxin (T4) mimics (e.g. erythrosine – a food colorant). He will also explore in utero and perinatal exposure to these compounds with a view to assessing risks to growth and development, and finally, he’ll look at some hormone mimics that have both estrogenic and T4-mimicking effects with the potential to have profound developmental effects.