Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are ubiquitous in everyday life, but their possible adverse effects on reproductive health have not been fully elucidated. EDCs exposure has been linked to a range of reproductive disorders. Many presumed mechanisms by which EDCs can cause reproductive toxicity have been described. Reproductive health depends on the normal prenatal development of properly functioning ovaries. A growing body of evidence from epidemiological and animal studies suggests that exposure to EDCs prenatally can cause a variety of reproductive disorders later in life, such as those described in the ovarian dysgenesis syndrome hypothesis. The mechanisms that mediate the effects of EDCs on female reproduction are deemed to include epigenetic modifications. In this literature review, we discuss the role of epigenetics (DNA methylation, non-coding RNAs, histone tail modifications) in the reproductive toxicity of EDCs.
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