Levels of dioxin-like PCBs in low-volume serum samples of male patients attending fertility clinics

Abstract

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Endocrine-Disrupting Air Pollutants and Their Effects on the Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Gonadal Axis

“…Exposures to various PCB congeners can affect hormone levels, puberty, and even chromosome disomy [119,120,122,124]. Exposure to non-dioxin-like PCBs may advance the timing of male puberty [119], and in infertile males, PCB congeners 118, 156, and 105 were found to contribute to over half of the total concentration of dioxin-like PCBs in serum [120]. PCB concentrations in serum appear to be positively correlated with SHBG, which may cause an elevation in total T and LH without affecting sperm quality [122].…”

“…The results showed that dioxin-like (DL) PCB congeners 118, 156, and 105 were responsible for 67% of the mean concentration of total DL-PCBs in serum samples in male patients [120]. Molto et al [120] also found that some PCB levels in serum are positively correlated to fat mass while others are not. These findings were attributed to Ronn et al [121], who found that low-chlorinated PCBs were positively correlated to fat mass, while highly chlorinated compounds were negatively correlated.…”

“…Molto et al [120] sampled the blood serum of 21 men visiting a fertility clinic suffering from different reproductive problems. The results showed that dioxin-like (DL) PCB congeners 118, 156, and 105 were responsible for 67% of the mean concentration of total DL-PCBs in serum samples in male patients [120]. Molto et al [120] also found that some PCB levels in serum are positively correlated to fat mass while others are not.…”

“…These findings were attributed to Ronn et al [121], who found that low-chlorinated PCBs were positively correlated to fat mass, while highly chlorinated compounds were negatively correlated. This study was the first of its kind, and therefore these were the first data collected as of 2015, and the data found in infertile serum samples of infertile men were not compared to serum samples of fertile men [120].…”

Relationship between serum dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls and post-testicular maturation in human sperm

“…Semen analyses were performed by the same technician, who was blind to other clinical data. Analytical methods and quality control were carried out according to Moltó et al [25]. Briefly, serum samples were spiked with ¹³C₁₂-labelled internal standards before extraction (WP-LCS; Wellington Laboratories Inc., Guelph, Canada), extracted several times using hexane, and purified using sulphuric acid.…”