Lithium is a key medication for the treatment of psychiatric disorders and is also used in various industrial applications (including battery production and recycling). Here, we review published data on the endocrine-disrupting potential of lithium, with a particular focus on the thyroid hormone system. To this end, we used PubMed and Scopus databases to search for, select and review primary research addressing human and animal health endpoints during or after lithium exposure at non-teratogenic doses. Given the key role of thyroid hormones in neurodevelopmental processes, we focused at studies of the neural effects of developmental exposure to lithium in humans and animals. Our results show that lithium meets the World Health Organization’s definition of a thyroid hormone system disruptor – particularly when used at therapeutic doses. When combined with knowledge of adverse outcome pathways linking molecular initiating events targeting thyroid function and neurodevelopmental outcomes, the neurodevelopmental data reported in animal experiments prompt us to suggest that lithium influences neurodevelopment. However, we cannot rule out the involvement of additional modes of action (i.e. unrelated to the thyroid hormone system) in the described neural effects.

中文翻译：

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锂与内分泌干扰：对人类健康的担忧？


锂是治疗精神疾病的关键药物，也用于各种工业应用（包括电池生产和回收）。在这里，我们回顾了有关锂的内分泌干扰潜力的已发表数据，特别关注甲状腺激素系统。为此，我们使用 PubMed 和 Scopus 数据库来搜索、选择和审查针对非致畸剂量的锂暴露期间或之后的人类和动物健康终点的主要研究。鉴于甲状腺激素在神经发育过程中的关键作用，我们重点研究人类和动物发育过程中接触锂的神经影响。我们的研究结果表明，锂符合世界卫生组织对甲状腺激素系统干扰物的定义——特别是在以治疗剂量使用时。当结合对甲状腺功能分子起始事件和神经发育结果之间的不良结果途径的了解时，动物实验中报告的神经发育数据促使我们认为锂会影响神经发育。然而，我们不能排除所描述的神经效应中涉及其他作用模式（即与甲状腺激素系统无关）。