Effects of exposure to 17 endocrine disrupting chemicals on sex steroid hormone levels in 12- to 19-year-old males in the United States

IF 2.8 4区医学 Q2 REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY

Reproductive toxicology Pub Date : 2025-10-14 DOI:10.1016/j.reprotox.2025.109078

Adila Adili, Haoran Liu, Hui Tian, Yuanyuan Ji, Xiaofang Han

{"title":"Effects of exposure to 17 endocrine disrupting chemicals on sex steroid hormone levels in 12- to 19-year-old males in the United States","authors":"Adila Adili, Haoran Liu, Hui Tian, Yuanyuan Ji, Xiaofang Han","doi":"10.1016/j.reprotox.2025.109078","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Endocrine disrupting chemicals are widespread in the environment and can interfere with reproductive hormone regulation, but their effects during adolescence are not yet clear. This study investigated the associations between exposure to multiple endocrine disrupting chemicals and sex steroid hormone levels in adolescent males. Data were obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2013–2016, including males aged 12–19 years. Urinary concentrations of 17 endocrine disrupting chemicals, including phthalates, phenols, and parabens, were analyzed in relation to serum sex hormones. Associations were examined using linear regression, quantile g-computation, and Bayesian kernel machine regression to capture both single and mixture exposures. Linear regression identified inverse associations of mono-(3-carboxypropyl) phthalate with total testosterone, estradiol, free androgen index, free testosterone, and bioavailable testosterone. Mono-(2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl) phthalate was inversely associated with estradiol, free androgen index, free testosterone, and bioavailable testosterone, but positively associated with sex hormone-binding globulin. Quantile g-computation confirmed these relationships, while Bayesian kernel machine regression demonstrated that combined exposure to 17 endocrine disrupting chemicals collectively reduced total testosterone, estradiol, free androgen index, free testosterone, and bioavailable testosterone, while increasing sex hormone-binding globulin. These findings reveal a consistent pattern of elevated binding globulin levels accompanied by decreased bioactive sex hormones. In conclusion, exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals, both individually and as mixtures, is associated with altered sex steroid hormone levels in adolescent males. These results underscore the importance of environmental regulation to limit exposure during this critical developmental stage and highlight the potential role of chemical mixtures in adolescent reproductive health.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21137,"journal":{"name":"Reproductive toxicology","volume":"138 ","pages":"Article 109078"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8000,"publicationDate":"2025-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Reproductive toxicology","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0890623825002497","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

Endocrine disrupting chemicals are widespread in the environment and can interfere with reproductive hormone regulation, but their effects during adolescence are not yet clear. This study investigated the associations between exposure to multiple endocrine disrupting chemicals and sex steroid hormone levels in adolescent males. Data were obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2013–2016, including males aged 12–19 years. Urinary concentrations of 17 endocrine disrupting chemicals, including phthalates, phenols, and parabens, were analyzed in relation to serum sex hormones. Associations were examined using linear regression, quantile g-computation, and Bayesian kernel machine regression to capture both single and mixture exposures. Linear regression identified inverse associations of mono-(3-carboxypropyl) phthalate with total testosterone, estradiol, free androgen index, free testosterone, and bioavailable testosterone. Mono-(2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl) phthalate was inversely associated with estradiol, free androgen index, free testosterone, and bioavailable testosterone, but positively associated with sex hormone-binding globulin. Quantile g-computation confirmed these relationships, while Bayesian kernel machine regression demonstrated that combined exposure to 17 endocrine disrupting chemicals collectively reduced total testosterone, estradiol, free androgen index, free testosterone, and bioavailable testosterone, while increasing sex hormone-binding globulin. These findings reveal a consistent pattern of elevated binding globulin levels accompanied by decreased bioactive sex hormones. In conclusion, exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals, both individually and as mixtures, is associated with altered sex steroid hormone levels in adolescent males. These results underscore the importance of environmental regulation to limit exposure during this critical developmental stage and highlight the potential role of chemical mixtures in adolescent reproductive health.

查看原文本刊更多论文

接触17种内分泌干扰化学物质对美国12- 19岁男性性类固醇激素水平的影响。

干扰内分泌的化学物质在环境中广泛存在，可以干扰生殖激素的调节，但它们对青春期的影响尚不清楚。本研究调查了青春期男性接触多种内分泌干扰物质与性类固醇激素水平之间的关系。数据来自2013-2016年全国健康与营养检查调查，包括12-19岁的男性。分析了17种内分泌干扰化学物质（包括邻苯二甲酸酯、酚类和对羟基苯甲酸酯）的尿浓度与血清性激素的关系。使用线性回归、分位数g计算和贝叶斯核机回归来检测关联，以捕获单一和混合暴露。线性回归发现邻苯二甲酸单-（3-羧基丙基）酯与总睾酮、雌二醇、游离雄激素指数、游离睾酮和生物可利用睾酮呈负相关。邻苯二甲酸单-（2-乙基-5-羟基己基）与雌二醇、游离雄激素指数、游离睾酮和生物可利用睾酮呈负相关，但与性激素结合球蛋白呈正相关。分位数g计算证实了这些关系，而贝叶斯核机回归表明，17种内分泌干扰化学物质的联合暴露共同降低了总睾酮、雌二醇、游离雄激素指数、游离睾酮和生物可利用睾酮，同时增加了性激素结合球蛋白。这些发现揭示了结合球蛋白水平升高伴随生物活性性激素下降的一致模式。总之，暴露于干扰内分泌的化学物质，无论是单独的还是混合的，都与青春期男性的性类固醇激素水平改变有关。这些结果强调了在这一关键发育阶段进行环境管制以限制接触的重要性，并强调了化学混合物在青少年生殖健康中的潜在作用。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

Reproductive toxicology 生物-毒理学

CiteScore

6.50

自引率

3.00%

发文量

131

审稿时长

45 days

期刊介绍： Drawing from a large number of disciplines, Reproductive Toxicology publishes timely, original research on the influence of chemical and physical agents on reproduction. Written by and for obstetricians, pediatricians, embryologists, teratologists, geneticists, toxicologists, andrologists, and others interested in detecting potential reproductive hazards, the journal is a forum for communication among researchers and practitioners. Articles focus on the application of in vitro, animal and clinical research to the practice of clinical medicine. All aspects of reproduction are within the scope of Reproductive Toxicology, including the formation and maturation of male and female gametes, sexual function, the events surrounding the fusion of gametes and the development of the fertilized ovum, nourishment and transport of the conceptus within the genital tract, implantation, embryogenesis, intrauterine growth, placentation and placental function, parturition, lactation and neonatal survival. Adverse reproductive effects in males will be considered as significant as adverse effects occurring in females. To provide a balanced presentation of approaches, equal emphasis will be given to clinical and animal or in vitro work. Typical end points that will be studied by contributors include infertility, sexual dysfunction, spontaneous abortion, malformations, abnormal histogenesis, stillbirth, intrauterine growth retardation, prematurity, behavioral abnormalities, and perinatal mortality.