Associations between urinary biomarkers of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon exposure and reproductive function during menstrual cycles in women

Abstract

Essentially all women are exposed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), formed during incomplete combustion of organic materials, including fossil fuels, wood, foods, and tobacco. PAHs are ovarian toxicants in rodents, and cigarette smoking is associated with reproductive abnormalities in women. Biomonitoring of hydroxylated PAH (OH-PAH) metabolites in urine provides an integrated measure of exposure to PAHs via multiple routes and has been used to characterize exposure to PAHs in humans. We hypothesized that concentrations of OH-PAHs in urine are associated with reproductive function in women. We recruited women 18–44 years old, living in Orange County, California to conduct daily measurement of urinary luteinizing hormone (LH) and estrone 3-glucuronide (E13G) using a microelectronic fertility monitor for multiple menstrual cycles; these data were used to calculate endocrine endpoints. Participants also collected urine samples on cycle day 10 for measurement of nine OH-PAHs. Models were constructed for eight endpoints using a Bayesian mixed modeling approach with subject-specific random effects allowing each participant to act as a baseline for her set of measurements. We observed associations between individual OH-PAH concentrations and follicular phase length, follicular phase LH and E13G concentrations, preovulatory LH surge concentrations, and periovulatory E13G slope and concentration. We have demonstrated the feasibility of using urinary reproductive hormone data obtained via fertility monitors to calculate endocrine endpoints for epidemiological studies of ovarian function during multiple menstrual cycles. The results show that environmental exposure to PAHs is associated with changes in endocrine markers of ovarian function in women in a PAH-specific manner.

Compliance with daily, home-based collection of urinary biospecimens in a prospective, preconception cohort

“…This study, like others in a growing body of research, demonstrates that a prospective pregnancy study can successfully gather intensively scheduled urine samples from both members of the couple. 4,10,14,15,18 It further demonstrates that, in a study setting, women can be taught to understand biomarkers of ovulation and record their ovulatory cycles with a high degree of accuracy, building on past research with similar findings. 16,18,19 Additionally, we demonstrate that women can apply their observations of ovulatory signs to trigger biospecimen collection at their own biologically relevant times.…”

“…13,14 These hurdles can be offset by the use of at-home biospecimen collection protocols, in which subjects, having been trained in collection procedures and provided with sampling schedules and materials, collect specimens at home for later collection by study investigators. 13–15…”

Effect of Air Pollution on Menstrual Cycle Length—A Prognostic Factor of Women’s Reproductive Health

“…Thus, the menstrual cycle length and the length of follicular and luteal phases are good prognostic factors of reproductive health. The association between the exposure to environmental pollution and the length of the menstrual cycle, its irregularity, oocyte quality, or miscarriage has received considerable attention in recent years [ 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 ].…”

BaP exposure causes oocyte meiotic arrest and fertilization failure to weaken female fertility

“…Human activities such as industrial production, transportation, coal combustion, and sulfur dioxide emissions release various poisonous and harmful substances (2,3), which are atmospherically transported and deposited in urbanized areas where people live and work (4)(5)(6)(7). Among the large amounts of pollutants present in the cities, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have attracted a great deal of attention because of their toxicity and persistence, which threaten human health and cause adverse disease effects (8)(9)(10), including reproductive defects (11)(12)(13). In the air, PAHs emitted from solid fuel combustion, like other volatile and semivolatile pollutants, adsorb on the suspended particulate matter (PM), a complex mixture of extremely small particles and liquid droplets made up of a carbonaceous fraction and inorganic constituents (14), to form the main elements threatening human health in smog, especially the health of susceptible populations, such as pregnant women and children (8).…”