Environmental Endocrinology and Endocrine Disruptors: Environmental Impact on the Hypothalamus–Pituitary Axis

The term endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) encloses several chemical compounds, mainly present in industrial products or in the environment as pollutants, capable of altering the homeostasis of the human body in different ways. Because of their intrinsic characteristics, EDCs present with omplex pharmacokinetics with a noncanonical dose–response pattern and a frequent additive or synergistic way of action. The endocrine system is one of the main targets of these substances and of many other environmental factors (i.e., climate change, radiations) that can impact at different levels on each hypothalamus–pituitary–peripheral gland axis, leading to hormonal dysfunctions and infertility. The pituitary is also interested in the direct effect of EDCs, related to the development of tumors via their multiple actions on AHR/AIP pathways. In this chapter, we provide a review of the state of the art on the role of EDCs and environmental factors on pituitary function and tumorigenesis.