title: Determination of parabens in serum by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry: Correlation with lipstick use.
abstract: Parabens are the most widely used preservative and are considered to be relatively safe compounds. However, studies have demonstrated that they may have estrogenic activity, and there is ongoing debate regarding the safety and potential cancer risk of using products containing these compounds. In the present work, liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was applied to determine methylparaben and propylparaben concentrations in serum, and the results were correlated with lipstick application. Samples were analyzed using liquid-liquid extraction, followed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The validation results demonstrated the linearity of the method over a range of 1-20 ng/mL, in addition to the method's precision and accuracy. A statistically significant difference was demonstrated between serum parabens in women who used lipstick containing these substances compared with those not using this cosmetic (p = 0.0005 and 0.0016, respectively), and a strong association was observed between serum parabens and lipstick use (Spearman correlation = 0.7202).
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Toxicants and Drugs Analysis, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Federal University of Alfenas - Unifal-MG, Gabriel Monteiro da Silva Street, 700, CEP 37130-000, Alfenas, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Gabriella Padovani
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Tahan
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Toxicants and Drugs Analysis, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Federal University of Alfenas - Unifal-MG, Gabriel Monteiro da Silva Street, 700, CEP 37130-000, Alfenas, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Nayara de Kássia Souza
authors.initials: NKS
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Toxicants and Drugs Analysis, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Federal University of Alfenas - Unifal-MG, Gabriel Monteiro da Silva Street, 700, CEP 37130-000, Alfenas, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ana Carolina
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Albuquerque
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Toxicants and Drugs Analysis, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Federal University of Alfenas - Unifal-MG, Gabriel Monteiro da Silva Street, 700, CEP 37130-000, Alfenas, MG, Brazil. Electronic address: isarita.sakakibara@unifal-mg.edu.br.
authors.forename: Isarita
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Martins
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002138:Calibration; D002853:Chromatography, Liquid / Q000592:standards; D003358:Cosmetics / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D010226:Parabens / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis*; D012015:Reference Standards; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D018570:Risk Assessment; D021241:Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization / Q000592:standards; D053719:Tandem Mass Spectrometry / Q000592:standards; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D003358:Cosmetics; D010226:Parabens; C015358:methylparaben; C006068:propylparaben
keywords: Exposure assessment; Lipstick use; Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry; Parabens in serum; Toxicology of cosmetics