Sperm Aneuploidy in Faroese Men with Lifetime Exposure to Dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene ( p , p´ -DDE) and Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCB) Pollutants

Abstract

Background:Although it is known that sperm aneuploidy contributes to early pregnancy losses and congenital abnormalities, the causes are unknown and environmental contaminants are suspected.Objectives:Our goal was to evaluate associations between lifetime exposure to organochlorines, specifically dichlorodiphenyldicholorethylene (p,p´-DDE) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and sperm aneuploidy in men from the general population of the Faroe Islands, a population with a known history of organochlorine exposures.Methods:Serum and semen samples from men (n = 90) 22–44 years old who participated in Faroe Islands health studies were analyzed for p,p´-DDE and PCBs 118, 138, 153, and 180 and adjusted for total lipids. Cord blood and age-14 serum were available for a subgroup (n = 40) and were also analyzed for p,p´-DDE and PCBs. Sperm fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) for chromosomes X, Y, and 18 was used to determine rates of XX18, XY18, YY18, and total disomy. Multivariable adjusted Poisson models were used to estimate the relationship between organochlorine exposure and sperm disomy outcomes.Results:Adult p,p´-DDE and total PCB serum concentrations were both associated with significantly increased rates of XX18, XY18, and total disomy. Age-14 p,p´-DDE and PCB concentrations were both associated with significantly increased rates of XX, XY, and total disomy in adulthood. Associations between cord blood concentrations of p,p´-DDE and PCBs and sperm disomy in adulthood were not consistently significant.Conclusions:Organochlorine exposures measured at age 14 and in adulthood were associated with sperm disomy in this sample of high-exposure men, suggesting that the impacts of persistent pollutants on testicular maturation and function require further investigation.Citation:Perry MJ, Young HA, Grandjean P, Halling J, Petersen MS, Martenies SE, Karimi P, Weihe P. 2016. Sperm aneuploidy in Faroese men with lifetime exposure to dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (p,p´-DDE) and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) pollutants. Environ Health Perspect 124:951–956; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1509779

Impact of a mild scrotal heating on sperm chromosomal abnormality, acrosin activity and seminal alpha-glucosidase in human fertile males

“…Chromosomal aneuploidy, DNA damage rates and abnormal morphology in spermatozoa are higher in infertile individuals and may contribute to early pregnancy loss (recurrent miscarriage), birth and developmental defects or other consequences for their offspring later in life (Andreescu et al., ; Kohn, Kohn, Darilek, Ramasamy, & Lipshultz, ; Palermo et al., ; Perry et al., ). Fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) analysis of sperm chromosomes was performed for patients with poor semen quality, recurrent pregnancy loss or recurrent implantation failure and spinal cord injury (anejaculation) (Andreescu et al., ; Kohn et al., ; Palermo et al., ; Perry et al., ; Qiu, Wang, Zhang, & Zhang, ; Qiu, Wang, Zhang, Li, et al., ). To date, no reports have been published about changes in sperm chromosome ploidy, sperm membrane and DNA integrity and AA under testicular heat stress.…”

Potential Increased Risk of Trisomy 18 Observed After a Fertilizer Warehouse Fire in Brazos County and TX

“…Numerous studies indicated that exposure to agrochemicals is associated with human aneuploidy. For example, exposure to organochlorines has been linked to sperm aneuploidy in men from the general population [13][14][15]. Similarly, exposure to organophosphate insecticides (OP) [16], air pollutants [17,18], and pyrethroids [19,20] were associated with chromosomal abnormalities in human reproductive cells.…”

Rediscovering FISH in the midst of a sperm chromatin conundrum

“…Beyond the level of detecting sperm aneuploidies and working to understand their role in normal reproduction and ARTs, paternal aging and the impact of the environment continue to attract attention given the evidence showing decreased fertility in many male populations around the world. There is now good evidence to support an environmental impact [4]. And adding to the conundrum at hand is the growing body of literature identifying epigenetic disturbances prior to or during lifespan of males that play out as transgenerational patterns of inheritance appearing in offspring from exposed individuals [5].…”