title: Associations of urinary metal concentrations and circulating testosterone in Chinese men.
abstract: Toxicological studies have shown that metals directly or indirectly influence testosterone (T) production, but the data from humans is limited and inconsistent. The aim of this study was to examine the associations between urinary metal concentrations and circulating T in Chinese men. Urinary concentrations of 13 metals (arsenic, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, iron, lead, manganese, molybdenum, mercury, nickel, selenium and zinc) and serum levels of T were analyzed in 118 men from an infertility clinic. Multivariable linear regression was used to assess the effect of metals exposure on T. Among the measured metals, the median urinary Zn (359.36μg/g creatinine) and Co (0.16μg/g creatinine) concentrations were the highest and the lowest, respectively. Significant dose-response relationships were found between decreased T and urinary Mn and Zn, even when considering multiple metals (both P for trend <0.05). Our results indicate that elevated Mn and Zn are inversely associated with T production.
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, PR China.
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: Yi-Xin
authors.initials: YX
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Ai-Lin
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yue
authors.forename: Yu-Feng
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Wen-Qing
authors.initials: WQ
authors.lastname: Lu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001151:Arsenic / Q000652:urine*; D044466:Asian People; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000652:urine*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008670:Metals / Q000652:urine*; D008875:Middle Aged; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D008670:Metals; D013739:Testosterone; D001151:Arsenic
keywords: Men; Reproductive health; Testosterone; Urinary metal