title: Environmental exposure to arsenic may reduce human semen quality: associations derived from a Chinese cross-sectional study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Recent observations in in vitro and in vivo models suggest that arsenic (As) is an endocrine disruptor at environmentally-relevant levels. When exposed to As, male rats and mice show steroidogenic dysfunction that can lead to infertility. However, the possible effects of As on human male semen quality remain obscure.
  
  
  METHODS
  We monitored the profile of As species in the urine of a reproductive-age human cohort and assessed its association with semen quality. Men (n = 96) were recruited in an infertility clinic from July 2009 to August 2010 in the Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Institute for Population and Family Planning. Five urinary As species were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HPLC-ICP-MS). Clinical information on the semen volume, sperm concentration and motility was employed to catalogue and evaluate semen quality according to WHO guidelines. As species concentrations in addition to other continuous variables were dichotomized by the medians and modelled as categorical variables in order to explore using the binary logistic regression possible associations between As exposure and semen quality.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Urinary concentrations (geometric mean ± SD, μg g(-1) creatinine) of different As species were 7.49 (± 24.8) for AsB, 20.9 (± 13.7) for DMA, 2.77 (± 3.33) for MMA, and 4.03 (± 3.67) for Asi (Asi(III )and Asi(V)). DMA concentrations above the median were significantly associated with below-reference sperm concentrations (P = 0.02) after adjusting for age, body mass index (BMI), abstinence, smoking and drinking habits. In addition, smoking was positively associated with MMA.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Reduced parameters in human semen quality are positively associated with As exposure in a reproductive-age Chinese cohort.
authors: Key Lab of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1799 Jimei Road, Xiamen 361021, China.
authors: Weipan
authors: W
authors: Xu
authors: Huaqiong
authors: H
authors: Bao
authors: Feng
authors: F
authors: Liu
authors: Liangpo
authors: L
authors: Liu
authors: Yong-Guan
authors: YG
authors: Zhu
authors: Jianwen
authors: J
authors: She
authors: Sijun
authors: S
authors: Dong
authors: Min
authors: M
authors: Cai
authors: Lianbing
authors: L
authors: Li
authors: Chuanhai
authors: C
authors: Li
authors: Heqing
authors: H
authors: Shen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001151:Arsenic / Q000633:toxicity* / Q000652:urine; D002681:China; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D052244:Endocrine Disruptors / Q000633:toxicity* / Q000652:urine; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity* / Q000652:urine; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D012661:Semen / Q000187:drug effects; D055101:Semen Analysis; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D052244:Endocrine Disruptors; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D001151:Arsenic