Xie Xin, Weng Xueqiong, Liu Shan, Chen Jingmin, Guo Xinrong, Gao Xinyu, Fei Qiaoyuan, Hao Guang, Jing Chunxia, Feng Liping
Department of Epidemiology, School of Medicine, Jinan University, No.601 Huangpu Ave West, Guangzhou 510632, Guangdong, China.
Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Exposure and Health, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, Guangdong, China.
Environ Sci Eur. 2021;33(1). doi: 10.1186/s12302-021-00508-9. Epub 2021 Jun 6.
There is increasing global concern regarding the health impacts of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which are emerging environmental endocrine disruptors. Results from previous epidemiological studies on the associations between PFAS exposure and sex hormone levels are inconsistent.
We examined the associations between serum PFAS compounds (PFDeA, PFHxS, PFNA, PFOA, PFOS) and sex hormones, including total testosterone (TT), free testosterone (FT), estrogen (E), and serum hormone binding globulin (SHBG).
After adjusting for potential confounders, PFDeA, PFOS, and PFHxS exposures were significantly associated with increased serum testosterone concentrations in males. PFDeA, PFOA, and PFOS exposures were positively correlated with FT levels in 20-49 years old women while PFOS exposure was negatively associated with TT levels in 12-19 years old girls. PFAS exposure was negatively associated with estradiol levels including: PFDeA in all females, PFHxS, PFNA, PFOS, and PFOA in 12-19 years old girls, PFNA in women above 50 years old, and PFOA in 12-19 years old boys while PFDeA and PFOS exposures were positively associated with estradiol levels in these boys. n-PFOS exposure was positively associated with SHBG levels in men older than 20 and in all females.
Using a large cohort of males and females aged from 12-80, we found that PFAS exposure appears to disrupt sex hormones in a gender-, age-, and compound-specific manner. Future work is warranted to clarify the causality and mechanisms involved.
全氟烷基和多氟烷基物质（PFAS）作为新兴的环境内分泌干扰物，其对健康的影响日益引起全球关注。先前关于PFAS暴露与性激素水平之间关联的流行病学研究结果并不一致。
我们研究了血清PFAS化合物（PFDeA、PFHxS、PFNA、PFOA、PFOS）与性激素之间的关联，这些性激素包括总睾酮（TT）、游离睾酮（FT）、雌激素（E）和血清激素结合球蛋白（SHBG）。
在对潜在混杂因素进行调整后，PFDeA、PFOS和PFHxS暴露与男性血清睾酮浓度升高显著相关。PFDeA、PFOA和PFOS暴露与20 - 49岁女性的FT水平呈正相关，而PFOS暴露与12 - 19岁女孩的TT水平呈负相关。PFAS暴露与雌二醇水平呈负相关，包括：所有女性中的PFDeA、12 - 19岁女孩中的PFHxS、PFNA、PFOS和PFOA、50岁以上女性中的PFNA以及12 - 19岁男孩中的PFOA，而PFDeA和PFOS暴露与这些男孩的雌二醇水平呈正相关。全氟辛烷磺酸（n - PFOS）暴露与20岁以上男性和所有女性的SHBG水平呈正相关。
通过对12 - 80岁的大量男性和女性队列进行研究，我们发现PFAS暴露似乎以性别、年龄和化合物特异性的方式干扰性激素。未来有必要开展工作以阐明其中涉及的因果关系和机制。
