Purpose

To determine correlations between chemicals in follicular fluid (FF) and follicular reproductive hormone levels.

Methods

The analysis was part of a larger cohort study to determine associations between exposure to EDCs and in vitro fertilization (IVF) outcomes. FF was aspirated from a single leading follicle per participant. Demographics and data on exposure to EDCs were self-reported by the participants using a questionnaire. The concentrations of estradiol (E2), progesterone (PG), anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH), and inhibin B, as well as that of 12 phthalate metabolites and 12 phenolic chemicals were measured in each FF sample. Multivariate linear regression model was used to identify the drivers of hormone levels based on participant’s age, BMI, smoking status, and chemical exposure for the monitored chemicals detected in more than 50% of the samples. Benjamini–Hochberg false discovery rate (FDR) correction was applied on the resulting p values (q value).

Results

FF samples were obtained from 72 women (mean age 30.9 years). Most of the phthalates and phenolic substances monitored (21/24, 88%) were identified in FF. Ten compounds (7 phthalate metabolites, 3 phenols) were found in more than 50% of samples. In addition, there were positive associations between E2 levels and mono-n-butyl phthalate (MnBP) (beta = 0.01) and mono-isobutyl phthalate (MiBP) (beta = 0.03) levels (q value < 0.05).

Conclusion

Higher concentrations of several phthalate metabolites, present among others in personal care products, were associated with increased E2 levels in FF. The results emphasize the need to further investigate the mechanisms of action of such EDCs on hormonal cyclicity and fertility in women.

中文翻译：

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卵泡液中内分泌干扰化学物质浓度和卵泡生殖激素水平

目的

确定卵泡液 (FF) 中的化学物质与卵泡生殖激素水平之间的相关性。

方法

该分析是一项更大的队列研究的一部分，该研究旨在确定 EDC 暴露与体外受精 (IVF) 结果之间的关联。 FF 是从每个参与者的单个主导卵泡中抽吸出来的。参与者使用问卷自行报告人口统计数据和 EDC 暴露数据。在每个 FF 样品中测量了雌二醇 (E2)、孕酮 (PG)、抗苗勒氏管激素 (AMH) 和抑制素 B 的浓度，以及 12 种邻苯二甲酸酯代谢物和 12 种酚类化学物质的浓度。使用多元线性回归模型根据参与者的年龄、BMI、吸烟状况以及在超过 50% 的样本中检测到的受监测化学品的化学品暴露情况来确定激素水平的驱动因素。对所得p值（q值）应用 Benjamini-Hochberg 错误发现率 (FDR) 校正。

结果

FF 样本取自 72 名女性（平均年龄 30.9 岁）。监测到的大多数邻苯二甲酸盐和酚类物质（21/24，88%）均在 FF 中被鉴定出。超过 50% 的样品中发现了 10 种化合物（7 种邻苯二甲酸酯代谢物、3 种酚类）。此外，E2 水平与邻苯二甲酸单正丁酯 (MnBP) (β = 0.01) 和邻苯二甲酸单异丁酯 (MiBP) (β = 0.03) 水平呈正相关（q值 < 0.05）。

结论

个人护理产品中存在的几种邻苯二甲酸酯代谢物浓度较高，与 FF 中 E2 水平升高相关。结果强调需要进一步研究此类 EDC 对女性荷尔蒙周期和生育力的作用机制。