title: Exposure to widespread environmental endocrine disrupting chemicals and human sperm sex ratio.
abstract: In recent years, a trend toward a declining proportion of male births has been noted in several, but not all, industrialized countries. The underlying reason for the drop in the sex ratio is unclear, but one theory states that widespread environmental endocrine disrupting chemicals affecting the male reproductive system in a negative manner could be part of the explanation. The present study was designed to investigate whether the urinary phthalate, pyrethroids and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons metabolites concentrations were associated with sperm Y:X ratio. The study population consisted of 194 men aged under 45 years of age who attended infertility clinic in Lodz, Poland for diagnostic purposes with normal semen concentration of 20-300 mln/ml or with slight oligozoospermia (semen concentration of 15-20 mln/ml) (WHO, 1999). The Y:X ratio was assessed by fluorescent in situ hybridization. Urinary concentrations of 1-hydroxypyrene were measured by high performance liquid chromatography, phthalate metabolites were analyzed using a procedure based on the LC-MS/MS methods and metabolites of synthetic pyrethroids were assessed by gas chromatography ion-tap mass spectrometry method. After adjustment for potential confounders (past diseases, age, abstinence, smoking, alcohol consumption, sperm concentration, motility, morphology) 5OH MEHP, CDCCA to TDCCA and 1-OHP was negatively related to Y:X sperm chromosome ratio (p = 0.033, p < 0.001, p = 0.047 respectively). As this is the first study to elucidate the association between the level of metabolites of widespread environmental endocrine disrupting chemicals (phthalates, synthetic pyrethroids, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) on sex chromosome ratio in sperm therefore, these findings require further replication in other populations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Epidemiology, Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine, 8 Teresy St, 91-362, Lodz, Poland. Electronic address: joannaj@imp.lodz.pl.
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jurewicz
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology and Reproduction, "Gameta" Hospital, 34/36 Rudzka St, 95-030, Rzgów, Poland.
authors.forename: Michał
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Radwan
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Epidemiology, Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine, 8 Teresy St, 91-362, Lodz, Poland.
authors.forename: Wojciech
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Sobala
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology and Reproduction, "Gameta" Hospital, 34/36 Rudzka St, 95-030, Rzgów, Poland.
authors.forename: Paweł
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Radwan
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Genetics, Polish Mother's Memorial Hospital - Research Institute, 281/289 Rzgowska St, Lodz, Poland.
authors.forename: Lucjusz
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jakubowski
authors.affiliation: Department of Toxicology, Medical University of Gdańsk, 107 Hallera St, Gdańsk, Poland.
authors.forename: Bartosz
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wielgomas
authors.affiliation: Bureau of Quality Assurance, Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine, 8 Teresy Street, 91-348, Lodz, Poland.
authors.forename: Danuta
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ligocka
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological and Environmental Monitoring, Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine, 8 Teresy Street, 91-348, Lodz, Poland.
authors.forename: Sławomir
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Brzeźnicki
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Epidemiology, Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine, 8 Teresy St, 91-362, Lodz, Poland.
authors.forename: Wojciech
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hanke
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D052244:Endocrine Disruptors / Q000633:toxicity*; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010795:Phthalic Acids / Q000652:urine; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000652:urine; D011721:Pyrenes / Q000652:urine; D011722:Pyrethrins / Q000652:urine; D012661:Semen; D012744:Sex Ratio; D013076:Sperm Count; D013094:Spermatozoa; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D052244:Endocrine Disruptors; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D010795:Phthalic Acids; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; D011721:Pyrenes; D011722:Pyrethrins; C032279:phthalic acid; C033146:1-hydroxypyrene
keywords: Phthalates; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; Sex ratio; Synthetic pyrethroids