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. 2020 Oct 21;8(4):91.
doi: 10.3390/toxics8040091.

Phthalates and Bisphenol A: Presence in Blood Serum and Follicular Fluid of Italian Women Undergoing Assisted Reproduction Techniques

Donatella Paoli  1 , Francesco Pallotti  1 , Anna Pia Dima  1 , Elena Albani  2 , Carlo Alviggi  3 , Franco Causio  4 , Carola Conca Dioguardi  2 , Alessandro Conforti  5 , Rosanna Ciriminna  6 , Gemma Fabozzi  7 , Giuseppe Giuffrida  8 , Roberto Gualtieri  9 , Maria Giulia Minasi  10 , Simona Ochetti  11 , Valerio Pisaturo  12 , Cinzia Racca  11 , Laura Rienzi  7 , Elena Sarcina  4 , Catello Scarica  13 , Giovanna Tomasi  8 , Cristina Verlengia  14 , Rita Villeggia  14 , Federica Zullo  11 , Andrea Lenzi  1 , Francesco Botrè  15   16 , Lucia De Santis  17
Affiliations

Phthalates and Bisphenol A: Presence in Blood Serum and Follicular Fluid of Italian Women Undergoing Assisted Reproduction Techniques

Donatella Paoli et al. Toxics. .

Abstract

Background: folliculogenesis is a strictly regulated process that may be affected by endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) through sometimes not so clear molecular mechanisms.

Methods: we conducted a multicentric observational study involving six fertility centers across Italy, prospectively recruiting 122 women attending a fertility treatment. Recruited women had age ≤42 years, and normal ovarian reserve. Blood and follicular fluid samples were taken for EDCs measurement using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry and each woman completed an epidemiological questionnaire.

Results: The main EDCs found were monobutyl phthalate (MBP) (median blood: 8.96 ng/mL, follicular fluid 6.43 ng/mL), monoethylhexyl phthalate (MEHP) (median blood: 9.16 ng/mL, follicular fluid 7.68 ng/mL) and bisphenol A (BPA) (median blood: 1.89 ng/mL, follicular fluid 1.86 ng/mL). We found that serum MBP concentration was significantly associated with the considered area (p < 0.001, adj. mean: 7.61 ng/mL, 14.40 ng/mL, 13.56 ng/mL; Area 1: Milan-Turin, Area 2: Rome-Naples; Area 3: Catania-Bari, respectively) but negatively with home plastic food packaging (p = 0.004). Follicular MBP was associated with irregular cycles (p = 0.019). No association was detected between EDCs and eating habits and other clinical and epidemiological features.

Conclusions: This study represents the first Italian biomonitoring of plastic EDCs in follicular fluid, laying the basis for future prospective evaluation on oocyte quality before assisted reproduction techniques (ART).

Keywords: ART; BPA; LC-MS/MS; follicular fluid; phthalates.

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Conflict of interest statement

A.C. and C.A. report personal fees honoraria from Merck outside the submitted research. The remaining authors have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Recruiting centers.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Histograms of reported frequencies of food consumption (daily or more on the left; weekly consumption on the right) for the whole cohort, based on food questionnaire answers.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Spearman’s correlations between food consumption (high or low consumption) and serum and follicular fluid bisphenol A (BPA), monoethylhexyl phthalate (MEHP) and monobutyl phthalate (MBP). sBPA: serum BPA; fBPA: follicular fluid; sMEHP: serum MEHP; fMEHP: follicular fluid MEHP; sMBP: serum MBP; fMBP: follicular fluid MBP.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Spearman’s correlations between relevant demographic information and serum and follicular fluid BPA, MEHP and MBP. (+: p ≤ 0.05). sBPA: serum BPA; fBPA: follicular fluid; sMEHP: serum MEHP; fMEHP: follicular fluid MEHP; sMBP: serum MBP; fMBP: follicular fluid MBP.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Exposure, metabolism, body circulation and elimination routes of BPA and phthalate esters.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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