Prenatal exposure to bisphenol analogues and digit ratio in children at ages 4 and 6 years: A birth cohort study.
Environ Pollut
; 278: 116820, 2021 Jun 01.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-33689944
ABSTRACT
Bisphenol analogues (BPs), including bisphenol A (BPA), have been shown to exhibit similar endocrine disrupting activities. However, epidemiological evidence on the reproductive and developmental toxicities of BPs other than BPA is scarce. The second to fourth digit ratio (2D4D), an endocrine-sensitive endpoint, has been suggested to be a biomarker of prenatal sex steroid exposure and associated with reproductive outcomes in later life. Using the data of 545 mother-child pairs from the Shanghai-Minhang Birth Cohort Study, we prospectively assessed the effects of prenatal exposure to BPs on 2D4D in children at ages 4 and 6 years. Single-spot urine samples were collected in the third trimester and analyzed for BPs. Digit lengths were measured using a vernier caliper in children at ages 4 and 6 years, and the 2D4D values for both hands were calculated. A multivariable linear regression model was applied to examine associations between prenatal BPs exposure and 2D4D digit ratios at each age separately. The generalized estimating equation (GEE) model was used to deal with repeated 2D4D measures obtained at ages 4 and 6 years. We found that prenatal exposure to BPA alternatives including BPF, BPS, and BPAF was associated with higher digit ratio in boys and/or girls (feminizing), while TCBPA, a halogenated bisphenol, was associated with lower 2D4D in boys (masculinizing). These associations were more pronounced at 4 years of age, and tended to remain after further considering the potential confounding from prenatal co-exposure to other BPs and childhood BPs exposure. Our study provides epidemiological evidence that BPs exposure during pregnancy may alter the digit development in children, indicative of disrupted reproductive development in later life. Given these new findings, further studies are needed to corroborate our results.
Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects
Type of study:
Etiology_studies
/
Incidence_studies
/
Observational_studies
/
Prognostic_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limits:
Child
/
Child, preschool
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Pregnancy
Country/Region as subject:
Asia
Language:
En
Journal:
Environ Pollut
Journal subject:
SAUDE AMBIENTAL
Year:
2021
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
China