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Dioxin Exposure, from Infancy through Puberty, Produces Endocrine Disruption and Affects Human Semen Quality

BACKGROUND: Environmental toxicants are allegedly involved in decreasing semen quality in recent decades; however, definitive proof is not yet available. In 1976 an accident exposed residents in Seveso, Italy, to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD). OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to...

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Autores principales: Mocarelli, Paolo, Gerthoux, Pier Mario, Patterson, Donald G., Milani, Silvano, Limonta, Giuseppe, Bertona, Maria, Signorini, Stefano, Tramacere, Pierluigi, Colombo, Laura, Crespi, Carla, Brambilla, Paolo, Sarto, Cecilia, Carreri, Vittorio, Sampson, Eric J., Turner, Wayman E., Needham, Larry L.
Formato: Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences 2008
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2199303/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18197302
http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.10399
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author Mocarelli, Paolo
Gerthoux, Pier Mario
Patterson, Donald G.
Milani, Silvano
Limonta, Giuseppe
Bertona, Maria
Signorini, Stefano
Tramacere, Pierluigi
Colombo, Laura
Crespi, Carla
Brambilla, Paolo
Sarto, Cecilia
Carreri, Vittorio
Sampson, Eric J.
Turner, Wayman E.
Needham, Larry L.
author_facet Mocarelli, Paolo
Gerthoux, Pier Mario
Patterson, Donald G.
Milani, Silvano
Limonta, Giuseppe
Bertona, Maria
Signorini, Stefano
Tramacere, Pierluigi
Colombo, Laura
Crespi, Carla
Brambilla, Paolo
Sarto, Cecilia
Carreri, Vittorio
Sampson, Eric J.
Turner, Wayman E.
Needham, Larry L.
author_sort Mocarelli, Paolo
collection PubMed
description BACKGROUND: Environmental toxicants are allegedly involved in decreasing semen quality in recent decades; however, definitive proof is not yet available. In 1976 an accident exposed residents in Seveso, Italy, to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD). OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate reproductive hormones and sperm quality in exposed males. METHODS: We studied 135 males exposed to TCDD at three age groups, infancy/prepuberty (1–9 years), puberty (10–17 years), and adulthood (18–26 years), and 184 healthy male comparisons using 1976 serum TCDD levels and semen quality and reproductive hormones from samples collected 22 years later. RESULTS: Relative to comparisons, 71 men (mean age at exposure, 6.2 years; median serum TCDD, 210 ppt) at 22–31 years of age showed reductions in sperm concentration (53.6 vs. 72.5 million/mL; p = 0.025); percent progressive motility (33.2% vs. 40.8%; p < 0.001); total motile sperm count (44.2 vs. 77.5 × 10(6); p = 0.018); estradiol (76.2 vs. 95.9 pmol/L; p = 0.001); and an increase in follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH; 3.58 vs. 2.98 IU/L; p = 0.055). Forty-four men (mean age at exposure, 13.2 years; median serum TCDD, 164 ppt) at 32–39 years of age showed increased total sperm count (272 vs. 191.9 × 10(6); p = 0.042), total motile sperm count (105 vs. 64.9 ×10(6); p = 0.036), FSH (4.1 vs. 3.2 UI/L; p = 0.038), and reduced estradiol (74.4 vs. 92.9 pmol/L; p < 0.001). No effects were observed in 20 men, 40–47 years of age, who were exposed to TCDD (median, 123 ppt) as adults (mean age at exposure, 21.5 years). CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to TCDD in infancy reduces sperm concentration and motility, and an opposite effect is seen with exposure during puberty. Exposure in either period leads to permanent reduction of estradiol and increased FSH. These effects are permanent and occur at TCDD concentrations < 68 ppt, which is within one order of magnitude of those in the industrialized world in the 1970s and 1980s and may be responsible at least in part for the reported decrease in sperm quality, especially in younger men.
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spelling pubmed-21993032008-01-15 Dioxin Exposure, from Infancy through Puberty, Produces Endocrine Disruption and Affects Human Semen Quality Mocarelli, Paolo Gerthoux, Pier Mario Patterson, Donald G. Milani, Silvano Limonta, Giuseppe Bertona, Maria Signorini, Stefano Tramacere, Pierluigi Colombo, Laura Crespi, Carla Brambilla, Paolo Sarto, Cecilia Carreri, Vittorio Sampson, Eric J. Turner, Wayman E. Needham, Larry L. Environ Health Perspect Research BACKGROUND: Environmental toxicants are allegedly involved in decreasing semen quality in recent decades; however, definitive proof is not yet available. In 1976 an accident exposed residents in Seveso, Italy, to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD). OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate reproductive hormones and sperm quality in exposed males. METHODS: We studied 135 males exposed to TCDD at three age groups, infancy/prepuberty (1–9 years), puberty (10–17 years), and adulthood (18–26 years), and 184 healthy male comparisons using 1976 serum TCDD levels and semen quality and reproductive hormones from samples collected 22 years later. RESULTS: Relative to comparisons, 71 men (mean age at exposure, 6.2 years; median serum TCDD, 210 ppt) at 22–31 years of age showed reductions in sperm concentration (53.6 vs. 72.5 million/mL; p = 0.025); percent progressive motility (33.2% vs. 40.8%; p < 0.001); total motile sperm count (44.2 vs. 77.5 × 10(6); p = 0.018); estradiol (76.2 vs. 95.9 pmol/L; p = 0.001); and an increase in follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH; 3.58 vs. 2.98 IU/L; p = 0.055). Forty-four men (mean age at exposure, 13.2 years; median serum TCDD, 164 ppt) at 32–39 years of age showed increased total sperm count (272 vs. 191.9 × 10(6); p = 0.042), total motile sperm count (105 vs. 64.9 ×10(6); p = 0.036), FSH (4.1 vs. 3.2 UI/L; p = 0.038), and reduced estradiol (74.4 vs. 92.9 pmol/L; p < 0.001). No effects were observed in 20 men, 40–47 years of age, who were exposed to TCDD (median, 123 ppt) as adults (mean age at exposure, 21.5 years). CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to TCDD in infancy reduces sperm concentration and motility, and an opposite effect is seen with exposure during puberty. Exposure in either period leads to permanent reduction of estradiol and increased FSH. These effects are permanent and occur at TCDD concentrations < 68 ppt, which is within one order of magnitude of those in the industrialized world in the 1970s and 1980s and may be responsible at least in part for the reported decrease in sperm quality, especially in younger men. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences 2008-01 2007-10-29 /pmc/articles/PMC2199303/ /pubmed/18197302 http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.10399 Text en http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/ Publication of EHP lies in the public domain and is therefore without copyright. All text from EHP may be reprinted freely. Use of materials published in EHP should be acknowledged (for example, ?Reproduced with permission from Environmental Health Perspectives?); pertinent reference information should be provided for the article from which the material was reproduced. Articles from EHP, especially the News section, may contain photographs or illustrations copyrighted by other commercial organizations or individuals that may not be used without obtaining prior approval from the holder of the copyright.
spellingShingle Research
Mocarelli, Paolo
Gerthoux, Pier Mario
Patterson, Donald G.
Milani, Silvano
Limonta, Giuseppe
Bertona, Maria
Signorini, Stefano
Tramacere, Pierluigi
Colombo, Laura
Crespi, Carla
Brambilla, Paolo
Sarto, Cecilia
Carreri, Vittorio
Sampson, Eric J.
Turner, Wayman E.
Needham, Larry L.
Dioxin Exposure, from Infancy through Puberty, Produces Endocrine Disruption and Affects Human Semen Quality
title Dioxin Exposure, from Infancy through Puberty, Produces Endocrine Disruption and Affects Human Semen Quality
title_full Dioxin Exposure, from Infancy through Puberty, Produces Endocrine Disruption and Affects Human Semen Quality
title_fullStr Dioxin Exposure, from Infancy through Puberty, Produces Endocrine Disruption and Affects Human Semen Quality
title_full_unstemmed Dioxin Exposure, from Infancy through Puberty, Produces Endocrine Disruption and Affects Human Semen Quality
title_short Dioxin Exposure, from Infancy through Puberty, Produces Endocrine Disruption and Affects Human Semen Quality
title_sort dioxin exposure, from infancy through puberty, produces endocrine disruption and affects human semen quality
topic Research
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2199303/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18197302
http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.10399
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