Personal exposure to particulate matter-bound toxic elements and ovarian reserve hormone levels

Environmental pollutant exposure has been linked to a wide range of negative health outcomes. However, the evidence on such association with ovarian reverse hormone levels is still scarce with no study on the association of exposure to particulate matter-bound-potentially toxic elements (PM-bound PTEs) and these hormones. This study was designed to evaluate the relationship between concentrations of PM-bound PTEs and levels of anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). This cohort study involved 2350 women aged 25–40 years. We used personal sampling to assess exposure to PM_2.5 and measure PM-bound PTEs. The relationship between level of PM-bound PTEs and FSH and AMH levels was investigated using multiple linear regression (MLR) models adjusted for relevant covariates. The analysis of combined exposure involved the use of quantile g-computation (g-comp) and Bayesian Kernel Machine Regression (BKMR), to evaluate the mixture effect of PM-bound PTEs on ovarian reserve hormone. The potential modifying effects of education, job, and environmental tobacco exposure were also evaluated. We found that Al has a marginally positive association with FSH levels. For AMH levels, Cr, As, Cd, Hg, and Pb all have significant negative associations in both crude and adjusted models, while other PM-bound PTEs showed no significant associations. G-comp analysis indicates a significant negative association between combined PM-bound PTEs exposure and AMH levels (β-coefficient = − 1.98, 95% confidence interval (CI) − 3.34, − 0.61, P < 0.01), but no significant impact on FSH levels (β-coefficient = 1.58, 95% CI − 1.81, 4.98, P = 0.36). Individual PM-bound PTEs impacts show Ni and Mn with the most negative effects on FSH. For AMH, Cd and Cr have the most negative effects. The BKMR analysis found that higher exposure to PM-bound PTEs was associated with increased FSH levels and decreased AMH levels, indicating potential disruption of ovarian reserve. Overall, our study suggested a negative impact of exposure to PM-bound PTEs on AMH levels. Further longitudinal studies are needed to establish causality and understand long-term effects.