title: Does Fluoride Affect Serum Testosterone and Androgen Binding Protein with Age-Specificity? A Population-Based Cross-Sectional Study in Chinese Male Farmers.
abstract: Many studies have demonstrated that exposure to excess fluoride was associated with a variety of diseases. Little is known about the variation of testosterone (T) levels caused by fluoride exposure. The aim of this study is to explore the association of fluoride exposure and age with serum T and androgen-binding protein (ABP) levels in male farmers. A cross-sectional study was conducted in a county of Henan Province, China, including high fluoride exposure from drinking water villages and control villages. Male farmers aged 18-55 years old who lived in these villages were recruited by cluster sampling and divided into a higher fluoride exposure group (HFG) and a lower fluoride exposure group (LFG) according to the level of urinary fluoride. Levels of T and ABP in serum were measured using chemiluminescence immunoassay (CLIA) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) respectively. Markedly lower T levels were observed in male farmers from the HFG than in those from the LFG (t = 2.496, P < 0.05). Furthermore, younger farmers, 18-29 and 30-39 years old, may be the most likely to have lower T levels when exposed to fluoride (P < 0.05). No significant differences were observed in serum ABP levels in all male farmers between the two groups with different fluoride exposure. These results supported that excess fluoride exposure decreased serum T levels of male farmers with age-specificity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, Institute of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450001, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Leizhen
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Duan
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, Institute of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450001, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Jingyuan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, Institute of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450001, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Keyan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, Institute of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450001, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Guoyu
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Kaifeng Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Kaifeng, Henan, 475000, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yuejin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, Institute of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450001, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Liuxin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, Institute of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450001, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, Institute of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450001, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xuemin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, Institute of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450001, People's Republic of China. byyue@zzu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Yue
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ba
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000375:Aging / Q000097:blood*; D000383:Agriculture; D000727:Androgen-Binding Protein / Q000097:blood*; D002681:China; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005459:Fluorides / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D000727:Androgen-Binding Protein; D013739:Testosterone; D005459:Fluorides
keywords: Age; Androgen binding protein; Fluorine; Male; Testosterone