Nguyen T-V, Monnier P, Muckle G, Sathyanarayana S, Ouellet E, Velez M P, Dodds L, Arbuckle T E
Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Royal Victoria Hospital, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, McGill University, Royal Victoria Hospital, Montreal, QC, Canada.
J Dev Orig Health Dis. 2019 Oct;10(5):578-586. doi: 10.1017/S2040174419000059. Epub 2019 Mar 11.
Prenatal sex steroid exposure plays an important role in determining child development. Yet, measurement of prenatal hormonal exposure has been limited by the paucity of newborn/infant data and the invasiveness of fetal hormonal sampling. Here we provide descriptive data from the MIREC-ID study (n=173 girls; 162 boys) on a range of minimally invasive physical indices thought to reflect prenatal exposure to androgens [anogenital distances (AGDs); penile length/width, scrotal/vulvar pigmentation], to estrogens [vaginal maturation index (VMI) - the degree of maturation of vaginal wall cells] or to both androgens/estrogens [2nd-to-4th digit ratio (2D:4D); areolar pigmentation, triceps/sub-scapular skinfold thickness, arm circumference]. VMI was found to be associated with triceps skinfold thickness (β=0.265, P=0.005), suggesting that this marker may be sensitive to estrogen levels produced by adipose tissue in girls. Both estrogenic and androgenic markers (VMI: β=0.338, P=0.031; 2D:4D - right: β=-0.207, P=0.040; left: β=-0.276, P=0.006; AGD-fourchette - β=0.253, P=0.036) were associated with areolar pigmentation in girls, supporting a role for the latter as an index of both androgen and estrogen exposure. We also found AGD-penis (distance from the anus to the penis) to be associated with scrotal pigmentation (β=0.290, P=0.048), as well as right arm circumference (β=0.462, P<0.0001), supporting the notion that these indices may be used together as markers of androgen exposure in boys. In sum, these findings support the use of several physical indices at birth to convey a more comprehensive picture of prenatal exposure to sex hormones.
产前性类固醇暴露在决定儿童发育方面起着重要作用。然而，由于新生儿/婴儿数据匮乏以及胎儿激素采样的侵入性，产前激素暴露的测量受到了限制。在此，我们提供了MIREC-ID研究（n = 173名女孩；162名男孩）的描述性数据，这些数据涉及一系列被认为可反映产前雄激素暴露的微创身体指标[肛门生殖器距离（AGD）；阴茎长度/宽度、阴囊/外阴色素沉着]、雌激素暴露[阴道成熟指数（VMI）——阴道壁细胞的成熟程度]或雄激素/雌激素共同暴露[食指与无名指长度比（2D:4D）；乳晕色素沉着、肱三头肌/肩胛下皮褶厚度、臂围]。研究发现，VMI与肱三头肌皮褶厚度相关（β = 0.265，P = 0.005），这表明该指标可能对女孩脂肪组织产生的雌激素水平敏感。雌激素和雄激素指标（VMI：β = 0.338, P = 0.031；2D:4D——右侧：β = -0.207, P = 0.040；左侧：β = -0.276, P = 0.006；AGD - 阴唇系带——β = 0.253, P = 0.036）均与女孩乳晕色素沉着相关，这支持了乳晕色素沉着可作为雄激素和雌激素暴露指标的作用。我们还发现AGD - 阴茎（从肛门到阴茎的距离）与阴囊色素沉着相关（β = 0.290, P = 0.048），以及与右臂围相关（β = 0.462, P < 0.0001）,这支持了这些指标可共同用作男孩雄激素暴露标志物的观点。总之，这些发现支持在出生时使用多种身体指标来更全面地反映产前性激素暴露情况。
