Evidence for persistent organochlorine pollutants in the human adrenal cortex.
Environmental pollutants may act as endocrine disruptors in animals. Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) enter the food chain and may accumulate in the fatty animal tissues, including adrenals. To our knowledge, no previous study has investigated their presence in the human normal adrenal (NA) cortex and aldosterone-producing adenomas (APA). Surgical fragments of APA from 11 patients and NA from 8 kidney donors were analyzed for 16 PCBs congeners and 10 OCPs. A Matrix Solid-Phase Dispersion (MSPD) method for simultaneous determination of the target compounds in cortex homogenates was developed. A gas-chromatography triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (Triple Quad GC-MS) system was used for the analysis. Data were analyzed using Random Forest and Wilcoxon's rank-sum test. OCPs and PCBs were found in specimens from both types. A subset of pollutants characterized APA more than NA. Higher concentrations (μg g-1) in APA were observed for α-, β-, and γ- Hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) (1.48 ± 3.32 vs. 0.17 ± 0.19, P = 0.028; 2.81 ± 2.10 vs. 0.96 ± 0.98, P = 0.011; 2.16 ± 4.85 vs. 0.17 ± 0.26, P = 0.004, respectively), as well as for Hexachlorobenzene (HCB) and for PCBs 28, 52 and 101 (3.41 ± 3.11 vs. 0.97 ± 1.06, P = 0.021; 2.34 ± 4.68 vs. 0.25 ± 0.22, P = 0.039; 0.58 ± 1.19 vs. 0.06 ± 0.02, P = 0.002; 0.26 ± 0.43 vs. 0.05 ± 0.00, P = 0.001, respectively). Environmental organochlorine pollutants were shown to be present in the human normal and abnormal adrenal cortex, deserving future investigation on their possible role as adrenal endocrine disruptors in human disease. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Fondazione Toscana "Gabriele Monasterio" (FTGM), Pisa, Italy.|Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
Enza
0000-0001-6674-8036
E
Fommei
International Center of Toxicology Information, Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri, Pavia, Italy.
Roberta
R
Turci
Fondazione Toscana "Gabriele Monasterio" (FTGM), Pisa, Italy.
Andrea
A
Ripoli
Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council (CNR), Pisa, Italy.
Silvana
S
Balzan
Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council (CNR), Pisa, Italy.
Fabrizio
F
Bianchi
Department of Transplantation and New Technologies, University of Pisa, Italy.
Luca
L
Morelli
Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council (CNR), Pisa, Italy.
Alessio
A
Coi
D000236:Adenoma / Q000737:chemistry; D000302:Adrenal Cortex / Q000737:chemistry*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000450:Aldosterone / Q000378:metabolism; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D006801:Humans; D006843:Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated / Q000032:analysis*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010575:Pesticides / Q000032:analysis*; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000032:analysis*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results
D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D006843:Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated; D010575:Pesticides; D000450:Aldosterone; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls
adrenal gland; aldosterone-producing adenoma; gas-chromatography triple quadrupole mass spectrometry; matrix solid-phase dispersion; organochlorine pesticides; polychlorinated biphenyls