Associations between urinary organophosphate pesticide metabolite levels and reproductive parameters in men from an infertility clinic

作者：Melgarejo Maria; Mendiola Jaime^*; Koch Holger M; Monino Garcia Miriam; Noguera Velasco Jose A; Torres Cantero Alberto M

来源：Environmental Research, 2015, 137: 292-298.

DOI：10.1016/j.envres.2015.01.004

• Endocrine disruptors
• Organophosphate pesticides
• Reproductive hormones
• Semen quality

Organophosphate (OP) pesticides are compounds used for pest control at home or in agriculture activities. Almost all OP pesticides are metabolized to at least one of six possible dialkylphosphates (DAPs). Despite wide use, their potential effects on human reproductive health have not yet been fully characterized. The aim of this study was to evaluate the associations between urinary concentrations of six DAP metabolites and reproductive parameters in men. All men were attended an infertility clinic and provided urine, serum and semen samples on the same day. Six DAP metabolites were measured in urine (dimethylphosphate [DMP], dimethylthiophosphate [DMTP], dimethyldithiophosphate [DMDTP], diethylphosphate [DEP], diethylthiophosphate [DETP], and diethyldithiophosphate [DEDTP]). Sperm quality was assessed by measuring volume, concentration, total sperm count (TSC), motility and morphology, and serum samples were analyzed for reproductive hormones, including follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), testosterone, prolactin and estradiol. Pearson correlations were used for unadjusted analyses, and multiple linear regression analysis was performed controlling for appropriate covariates. All men presented detectable concentrations of at least one urinary OP metabolite. After adjustment by important covariates, there was a significant positive association between DEDTP concentrations and LH [(beta)=11.4; 95% CI 0.81-22.1] as well as FSH levels [(beta)=3.2; 95% CI 0.08-6.21. Sperm concentration and TSC were both significantly inversely associated with DMP, DMDP, DMDTP and Sigma DAP in multivariate analysis. Besides, there was a significant inverse association between percentage of motile sperm and DMTP, DMDTP and DEP metabolite concentrations. Our results suggest that exposure to OP pesticides may be associated with decreased sperm counts and motility and altered reproductive hormone levels in male partners of couples seeking for infertility treatment. However, further studies are warranted to confirm and extent these findings.

• 出版日期2015-2