Associations between CB-153 and p,p'-DDE and hormone levels in serum in middle-aged and elderly men.
BACKGROUND
Animal and epidemiologic data indicate that exposure to persistent organochlorine pollutants (POPs) may disrupt the hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) and the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axes. We have assessed whether the POP-biomarkers 2,2'4,4',5,5'-hexachlorobiphenyl (CB-153) and 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(4-chlorophenyl)-ethene (p,p'-DDE) affect thyrotropin (TSH), thyroid hormones, gonadotropins or sex hormone concentrations in men.


METHODS
Lipid adjusted serum concentrations of CB-153, and p,p'-DDE, were determined in 196 men (median age 59 years, range 48-82). Hormone analyses in serum were performed with immunoassays. The effect of CB-153 and p,p'-DDE (as continuous or categorized variables) were evaluated by linear regression models, adjusting for potential confounders.


RESULTS
There was a significant positive association between p,p'-DDE and TSH. An increase of 100 ng/g lipid of p,p'-DDE corresponded to an increase of 0.03 mU/l (95% Confidence Interval (CI) 0.01, 0.05) in TSH level. The explanatory value (R(2)) of the multivariate model was only 7%. Moreover, there was a significant negative association between p,p'-DDE and estradiol. An increase of 100 ng/g lipid of p,p'-DDE corresponded to a decrease of 0.57 pmol/l (95% CI -1.0, -0.12) in estradiol level. The R(2)-value was only 4%. No associations were observed between any of the POP biomarkers and the other hormones.


CONCLUSIONS
The positive association between p,p'-DDE and TSH and the negative association between p,p'-DDE and estradiol, among middle-aged and elderly men, were not accompanied by associations between the POP-markers and thyroxin, testosterone, and gonadotropins, respectively. The results gives some additional support for that POP exposure may affect HPT- and HPG-axes also in humans, but the overall epidemiological data are still not coherent enough to allow any firm conclusions.
Rylander
Lars
L
Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine and Psychiatric Epidemiology, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University, Lund University Hospital, SE-221 85 Lund, Sweden.
Wallin
Ewa
E
Jönssson
Bo A G
BA
Stridsberg
Mats
M
Erfurth
Eva Marie
EM
Hagmar
Lars
L
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000097:blood*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003633:Dichlorodiphenyl Dichloroethylene / Q000097:blood*; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000097:blood*; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones / Q000097:blood; D006062:Gonadotropins / Q000097:blood; D006728:Hormones / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000097:blood*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden; D013963:Thyroid Hormones / Q000097:blood; D013972:Thyrotropin / Q000097:blood
D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones; D006062:Gonadotropins; D006728:Hormones; D013963:Thyroid Hormones; D003633:Dichlorodiphenyl Dichloroethylene; D013972:Thyrotropin; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls; C014024:2,4,5,2',4',5'-hexachlorobiphenyl