[Study on the association between maternal urinary phthalate metabolites and testicular steroid hormones in the cord blood in a Chinese population].
OBJECTIVE
The purposes of our study were to investigate the association between maternal urinary phthalate metabolites and the levels of inhibin B (INHB) and insulin-like factor 3 (INSL3) in the cord blood in a Chinese pregnant population.


METHODS
Maternal urine samples in the third trimester of pregnancy of 69 participants were collected and stored, and the samples of cord blood (10 ml) were collected at delivery between June 2011 and September 2012 in a comprehensive hospital of gynecology and obstetrics in Tianjin, China.Four phthalate metabolites, monomethyl phthalate (MMP), monoethyl phthalate (MEP), monobutyl phthalate (MBP), and mono-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (MEHP) were measured in the urine samples using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The levels of INHB, INSL3 in the cord blood were tested by ELISA. Associations of phthalate exposure with INHB and INSL3 levels were determined by spearman correlation and multiple regression model analysis.


RESULTS
The median concentrations of observed metabolites in descending order were 49.74 µg/L for MMP, 24.96 µg/L for MEHP, 19.52 µg/L for MEP and 17.73 µg/L for MBP. The median concentrations of INHB and INSL3 were 89.09 and 106.21 ng/L.Significant negative associations between INHB and MMP(β' = -0.252), MEP(β' = -0.363) or the sum value (∑PAEs) (β' = -0.346) were found by the multiple regression model analysis. For INSL3, only the sum value (β' = -0.313) was inversely significantly associated with the levels of INSL3 in the cord blood.


CONCLUSIONS
Maternal urinary phthalate metabolites were associated with INHB and INSL3 in the cord blood in a Chinese population.
Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, China.
Xi
X
Chen
Jing
J
Ma
Hao
H
Yu
Ling
L
Leng
Qinghong
Q
Zhou
Zengrong
Z
Sun
Email: tangnaijun@tijmu.edu.cn.
Naijun
N
Tang
D000328:Adult; D004051:Diethylhexyl Phthalate / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000652:urine; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D028322:Inhibin-beta Subunits / Q000097:blood*; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D018811:Maternal Exposure; D010795:Phthalic Acids / Q000652:urine*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011506:Proteins; D013735:Testicular Hormones / Q000097:blood*; D055815:Young Adult
D007328:Insulin; C084797:Leydig insulin-like protein; D010795:Phthalic Acids; D011506:Proteins; D013735:Testicular Hormones; C581825:monoethyl phthalate; C517284:monomethyl phthalate; C032279:phthalic acid; D028322:Inhibin-beta Subunits; D004051:Diethylhexyl Phthalate; C016599:mono-(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate; C028577:monobutyl phthalate