Document Type
Journal Article
Publication Date
4-2012
Journal
Environmental Health Perspectives
Volume
Volume 120, Issue 4
Inclusive Pages
535-540
Keywords
Aneuploidy; Chromosomes; Human; Y--drug effects; Dichlorodiphenyl Dichloroethylene--toxicity; Environmental Exposure; Polychlorinated Biphenyls--toxicity; Sex Chromosome Aberrations--chemically induced
Abstract
Background: Chromosomal abnormalities contribute substantially to reproductive problems, but the role of environmental risk factors has received little attention.
Objectives: We evaluated the association of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) and dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (p,p´-DDE) exposures with sperm sex-chromosome disomy.
Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 192 men from subfertile couples. We used multiprobe fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) for chromosomes X, Y, and 18 to determine XX, YY, XY, and total sex-chromosome disomy in sperm nuclei. Serum was analyzed for concentrations of 57 PCB congeners and p,p´-DDE. Poisson regression models were used to calculate incidence rate ratios (IRRs) for disomy by exposure quartiles, controlling for demographic characteristics and semen parameters.
Results: The median percent disomy was 0.3 for XX and YY, 0.9 for XY, and 1.6 for total sex-chromosome disomy. We observed a significant trend of increasing IRRs for increasing quartiles of p,p´-DDE in XX, XY, and total sex-chromosome disomy, and a significant trend of increasing IRRs for increasing quartiles of PCBs for XY and total sex-chromosome disomy; however, there was a significant inverse association for XX disomy.
Conclusions: Our findings suggest that exposure to p,p´-DDE may be associated with increased rates of XX, XY, and total sex-chromosome disomy, whereas exposure to PCBs may be associated with increased rates of YY, XY, and total sex-chromosome disomy. In addition, we observed an inverse association between increased exposure to PCBs and XX disomy. Further work is needed to confirm these findings.
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APA Citation
McAuliffe, M.E., Williams, P.L., Korrick, S.A., Altshul, L.M., Perry M.J. (2012). Environmental exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls and p,p'-DDE and sperm sex-chromosome disomy. Environmental Health Perspectives, 120(4), 535-540.
Peer Reviewed
1
Open Access
1
Comments
Environmental Health Perspectives is a publication of the U.S. Government. Publication of EHP lies in the public domain and is therefore without copyright.