Longitudinal Associations between Prenatal Exposure to Phthalates and Steroid Hormones in Maternal Hair Samples from the SEPAGES Cohort

• Published in: Environmental science & technology Vol. 57; no. 48; pp. 19202 - 19213
• Main Authors: Mustieles, Vicente, Lascouts, Aurélien, Pozo, Oscar J., Haro, Noemí, Lyon-Caen, Sarah, Jedynak, Paulina, Bayat, Sam, Thomsen, Cathrine, Sakhi, Amrit K., Sabaredzovic, Azemira, Slama, Rémy, Ouellet-Morin, Isabelle, Philippat, Claire
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Chemical Society 05-12-2023
• Subjects: Bayes Theorem; Bayesian analysis; Cortisone; Cyclohexane; Ecotoxicology and Public Health; Environmental Exposure; Environmental Pollutants; Environmental Sciences; Exposure; Female; Hair; Hair - metabolism; Hormones; Humans; Life Sciences; Maternal Exposure; Mathematical models; Metabolites; Mixtures; Phthalate esters; Phthalates; Phthalic Acids - metabolism; Pregnancy; Prenatal experience; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; Progesterone; Santé publique et épidémiologie; Statistics; Steroid hormones; Steroids; Testosterone; cortisol; steroid hormone; phthalate; testosterone; DiNP; pregnancy; endocrine disruption; MBzP; DINCH
• ISSN: 0013-936X; 1520-5851; 1520-5851
• DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c03401

We assessed phthalate-hormone associations in 382 pregnant women of the new-generation SEPAGES cohort (2014–2017, France) using improved exposure and outcome assessments. Metabolites from seven phthalate compounds and the replacement di­(isononyl)­cyclohexane-1,2-dicarboxylate (DINCH) were measured in within-subject pools of repeated urine samples collected at the second and third pregnancy trimesters (≈21 samples/trimester). Metabolites from five steroid hormones were measured in maternal hair samples collected at delivery, reflecting cumulative levels over the previous weeks to months. Adjusted linear regression and Bayesian weighted quantile sum (BWQS) mixture models were performed. Each doubling in third-trimester urinary mono-benzyl phthalate (MBzP) concentrations was associated with an average increase of 13.3% (95% CI: 2.65, 24.9) for ∑cortisol, 10.0% (95% CI: 0.26, 20.7) for ∑cortisone, 17.3% (95% CI: 1.67, 35.4) for 11-dehydrocorticosterone, and 16.2% (95% CI: 2.20, 32.1) for testosterone, together with a suggestive 10.5% (95% CI: −1.57, 24.1) increase in progesterone levels. Each doubling in second-trimester urinary di-isononyl phthalate (DiNP) concentrations was inversely associated with testosterone levels (−11.6%; 95% CI: −21.6, −0.31). For most hormones, a nonsignificant trend toward a positive phthalate mixture effect was observed in the third but not in the second trimester. Our study showed that exposure to some phthalate metabolites, especially MBzP, may affect adrenal and reproductive hormone levels during pregnancy.