Exposure to Endocrine Disruptors and Nuclear Receptors Gene Expression in Infertile and Fertile Men from Italian Areas with Different Environmental Features

Cinzia La Rocca, Sabrina Tait, Cristiana Guerranti, Luca Busani, Francesca Ciardo, Bruno Bergamasco, Guido Perra, Francesca Romana Mancini, Roberto Marci, Giulia Bordi, Donatella Caserta, Silvano Focardi, Massimo Moscarini and Alberto Mantovani
Additional contact information
Cinzia La Rocca: Department of Food Safety and Veterinary Public Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Roma 00161, Italy
Sabrina Tait: Department of Food Safety and Veterinary Public Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Roma 00161, Italy
Cristiana Guerranti: Department of Physical, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Siena, Siena 53100, Italy
Luca Busani: Department of Food Safety and Veterinary Public Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Roma 00161, Italy
Francesca Ciardo: Department of Obstetric and Gynecological Sciences and Urological Sciences, University of Roma Sapienza, S. Andrea Hospital, Roma 00189, Italy
Bruno Bergamasco: Department of Food Safety and Veterinary Public Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Roma 00161, Italy
Guido Perra: Department of Physical, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Siena, Siena 53100, Italy
Francesca Romana Mancini: Department of Food Safety and Veterinary Public Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Roma 00161, Italy
Roberto Marci: Department of Biomedical Sciences and Advanced Therapies, Section of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Ferrara, Ferrara 44124, Italy
Giulia Bordi: Department of Obstetric and Gynecological Sciences and Urological Sciences, University of Roma Sapienza, S. Andrea Hospital, Roma 00189, Italy
Donatella Caserta: Department of Obstetric and Gynecological Sciences and Urological Sciences, University of Roma Sapienza, S. Andrea Hospital, Roma 00189, Italy
Silvano Focardi: Department of Physical, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Siena, Siena 53100, Italy
Massimo Moscarini: Department of Obstetric and Gynecological Sciences and Urological Sciences, University of Roma Sapienza, S. Andrea Hospital, Roma 00189, Italy
Alberto Mantovani: Department of Food Safety and Veterinary Public Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Roma 00161, Italy

IJERPH, 2015, vol. 12, issue 10, 1-20

Abstract: Internal levels of selected endocrine disruptors (EDs) ( i.e ., perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), di-2-ethylhexyl-phthalate (DEHP), mono-(2-ethylhexyl)-phthalate (MEHP), and bisphenol A (BPA)) were analyzed in blood/serum of infertile and fertile men from metropolitan, urban and rural Italian areas. PFOS and PFOA levels were also evaluated in seminal plasma. In peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of same subjects, gene expression levels of a panel of nuclear receptors (NRs), namely estrogen receptor ? (ER?) estrogen receptor ? (ER?), androgen receptor (AR), aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor ? (PPAR?) and pregnane X receptor (PXR) were also assessed. Infertile men from the metropolitan area had significantly higher levels of BPA and gene expression of all NRs, except PPAR?, compared to subjects from other areas. Subjects from urban areas had significantly higher levels of MEHP, whereas subjects from rural area had higher levels of PFOA in both blood and seminal plasma. Interestingly, ER?, ER?, AR, PXR and AhR expression is directly correlated with BPA and inversely correlated with PFOA serum levels. Our study indicates the relevance of the living environment when investigating the exposure to specific EDs. Moreover, the NRs panel in PBMCs demonstrated to be a potential biomarker of effect to assess the EDs impact on reproductive health.

Keywords: human exposure; men infertility; PFOS; PFOA; BPA; DEHP; MEHP; biomarkers (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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