Wu Wenhao, Wu Jingna, Hou Zebin, Yan Qi, Qin Kaixin, Zhao Yuan, Zhang Hua, Zhu Yikun, He Junhua, Li Jin
Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, The Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China.
Department of Thyroid Surgery, Shanxi Provincial People's Hospital, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China.
Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2025 Apr 11;16:1533516. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2025.1533516. eCollection 2025.
Ethylene oxide (EO) is a crucial organic compound commonly utilized in industrial and medical products. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved EO sterilization sterilizes about 50% of sterile medical devices in the U.S. Animal and human studies have suggested that EO exposure may result in severe health problem. However, studies evaluating the relationship between EO exposure and sex hormones in human populations are still lacking. Therefore, further investigation into EO's effects on humans is essential. This cross-sectional study within the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES),2013-2016 examined the relationship between EO-hemoglobin adducts (HbEO) and sex hormones. HbEO was found to be inversely associated with estradiol (E2) and positively associated with the ratio of total testosterone (TT) to E2 and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) levels in adult males. Such associations HbEO and E2 and SHBG were non-linear in male adults. However, no significant associations were found between HbEO and sex steroids across various age groups of females and all male age groups except for adults. Thus, our study provides evidence that EO may potentially serve as an endocrine disruptor in the environment, affecting the levels of sex hormones in adult males.
环氧乙烷（EO）是一种重要的有机化合物，常用于工业和医疗产品中。美国食品药品监督管理局（FDA）批准的环氧乙烷灭菌法对美国约50%的无菌医疗器械进行灭菌。动物和人体研究表明，接触环氧乙烷可能会导致严重的健康问题。然而，评估人群中环氧乙烷暴露与性激素之间关系的研究仍然缺乏。因此，进一步研究环氧乙烷对人体的影响至关重要。这项在美国国家健康与营养检查调查（NHANES）2013 - 2016年期间开展的横断面研究，考察了环氧乙烷 - 血红蛋白加合物（HbEO）与性激素之间的关系。研究发现，在成年男性中，HbEO与雌二醇（E2）呈负相关，与总睾酮（TT）与E2的比值以及性激素结合球蛋白（SHBG）水平呈正相关。在成年男性中，HbEO与E2和SHBG之间的这种关联是非线性的。然而，除了成年人外，在不同年龄组的女性和所有男性年龄组中，未发现HbEO与性类固醇之间存在显著关联。因此，我们的研究提供了证据，表明环氧乙烷可能在环境中充当内分泌干扰物，影响成年男性的性激素水平。
