Association between prenatal exposure to phthalates and the health of newborns.
Phthalates are developmental and reproductive toxicants for the fetus in pregnant rodents, and the ability of phthalates to penetrate the placenta have been reported. The aims of this study were to evaluate the association between maternal urine excretion, the exposure of fetus to phthalates in amniotic fluid, and the health of newborns. Amniotic fluid and urine samples from pregnant women were collected to measure five phthalate monoesters using liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS-MS) and the newborns' birth weight, gestational age, and anogenital distance (AGD) were collected. The median levels of three phthalate monoesters in urine and amniotic fluid were 78.4 and 85.2 ng/mL monobutyl phthalate (MBP); 24.9 and 22.8 ng/mL mono-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP); 19.8 and Not Detected monoethyl phthalate (MEP). We found a significant positive correlation only between creatinine adjusted urinary MBP and amniotic fluid MBP (R(2)=0.156, p<0.05) in all infants and, only in female infants, a significantly negative correlation between amniotic fluid MBP, AGD (R=-0.31, p<0.06), and the anogenital index adjusted by birth weight (AGI-W) (R=-0.32, p<0.05). Although the influence of prenatal di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) exposure on the endocrinology and physiology of the fetus is still a puzzle, our data clearly show that in utero exposure to phthalates in general has anti-androgenic effects on the fetus.
Huang
Po-Chin
PC
Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Medical College, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
Kuo
Pao-Lin
PL
Chou
Yen-Yin
YY
Lin
Shio-Jean
SJ
Lee
Ching-Chang
CC
D000653:Amniotic Fluid / Q000737:chemistry; D001724:Birth Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D002853:Chromatography, Liquid; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus / Q000187:drug effects*; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D010795:Phthalic Acids / Q000633:toxicity*; D037841:Pregnant People; D053719:Tandem Mass Spectrometry; D014556:Urine / Q000737:chemistry
D010795:Phthalic Acids; C032279:phthalic acid