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Exposure to Perfluoroalkyl Substances and Sperm DNA Global Methylation in Arctic and European Populations

Leter, Giorgio ; Consales, Claudia ; Eleuteri, Patrizia ; Uccelli, Raffaella ; Specht, Ina O. ; Toft, Gunnar ; Moccia, Tania ; Budillon, Alfredo ; Jönsson, Bo A LU and Lindh, Christian LU orcid , et al. (2014) In Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis 55(7). p.591-600
Abstract
Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are widely used in a variety of industrial processes and products, and have been detected globally in humans and wildlife. PFASs are suspected to interfere with endocrine signaling and to adversely affect human reproductive health. The aim of the present study was to investigate the associations between exposure to PFASs and sperm global methylation levels in a population of non-occupationally exposed fertile men. Measurements of PFASs in serum from 262 partners of pregnant women from Greenland, Poland and Ukraine, were also carried out by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), and... (More)
Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are widely used in a variety of industrial processes and products, and have been detected globally in humans and wildlife. PFASs are suspected to interfere with endocrine signaling and to adversely affect human reproductive health. The aim of the present study was to investigate the associations between exposure to PFASs and sperm global methylation levels in a population of non-occupationally exposed fertile men. Measurements of PFASs in serum from 262 partners of pregnant women from Greenland, Poland and Ukraine, were also carried out by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), and perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) were detected in 97% of the blood samples. Two surrogate markers were used to assess DNA global methylation levels in semen samples from the same men: (a) average DNA methylation level in repetitive DNA sequences (Alu, LINE-1, Sat alpha) quantified by PCR-pyrosequencing after bisulfite conversion; (b) flow cytometric immunodetection of 5-methyl-cytosines. After multivariate linear regression analysis, no major consistent associations between PFASs exposure and sperm DNA global methylation endpoints could be detected. However, since weak but statistically significant associations of different PFASs with DNA hypo- and hypermethylation were found in some of the studied populations, effects of PFASs on sperm epigenetic processes cannot be completely excluded, and this issue warrants further investigation. (C) 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (Less)
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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
perfluoroalkyl substances, human spermatozoa, DNA methylation, pyrosequencing, flow cytometry, epidemiology
in
Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis
volume
55
issue
7
pages
591 - 600
publisher
John Wiley & Sons Inc.
external identifiers
  • wos:000343823600007
  • scopus:84905655855
  • pmid:24889506
ISSN
1098-2280
DOI
10.1002/em.21874
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
c25ca643-a239-4e14-af4e-4444c20e3b64 (old id 4882006)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 11:16:18
date last changed
2022-05-18 17:36:48
@article{c25ca643-a239-4e14-af4e-4444c20e3b64,
  abstract     = {{Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are widely used in a variety of industrial processes and products, and have been detected globally in humans and wildlife. PFASs are suspected to interfere with endocrine signaling and to adversely affect human reproductive health. The aim of the present study was to investigate the associations between exposure to PFASs and sperm global methylation levels in a population of non-occupationally exposed fertile men. Measurements of PFASs in serum from 262 partners of pregnant women from Greenland, Poland and Ukraine, were also carried out by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), and perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) were detected in 97% of the blood samples. Two surrogate markers were used to assess DNA global methylation levels in semen samples from the same men: (a) average DNA methylation level in repetitive DNA sequences (Alu, LINE-1, Sat alpha) quantified by PCR-pyrosequencing after bisulfite conversion; (b) flow cytometric immunodetection of 5-methyl-cytosines. After multivariate linear regression analysis, no major consistent associations between PFASs exposure and sperm DNA global methylation endpoints could be detected. However, since weak but statistically significant associations of different PFASs with DNA hypo- and hypermethylation were found in some of the studied populations, effects of PFASs on sperm epigenetic processes cannot be completely excluded, and this issue warrants further investigation. (C) 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.}},
  author       = {{Leter, Giorgio and Consales, Claudia and Eleuteri, Patrizia and Uccelli, Raffaella and Specht, Ina O. and Toft, Gunnar and Moccia, Tania and Budillon, Alfredo and Jönsson, Bo A and Lindh, Christian and Giwercman, Aleksander and Pedersen, Henning S. and Ludwicki, Jan K. and Zviezdai, Valentyna and Heederik, Dick and Bonde, Jens Peter E. and Spano, Marcello}},
  issn         = {{1098-2280}},
  keywords     = {{perfluoroalkyl substances; human spermatozoa; DNA methylation; pyrosequencing; flow cytometry; epidemiology}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{7}},
  pages        = {{591--600}},
  publisher    = {{John Wiley & Sons Inc.}},
  series       = {{Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis}},
  title        = {{Exposure to Perfluoroalkyl Substances and Sperm DNA Global Methylation in Arctic and European Populations}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/em.21874}},
  doi          = {{10.1002/em.21874}},
  volume       = {{55}},
  year         = {{2014}},
}