Elsevier

Reproductive Toxicology

Volume 16, Issue 6, November–December 2002, Pages 735-739
Reproductive Toxicology

Maternal serum and amniotic fluid bisphenol A concentrations in the early second trimester

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0890-6238(02)00051-5Get rights and content

Abstract

To assess human exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) over a 10-year period, BPA concentrations in maternal serum (MS) and amniotic fluid (AF) obtained at early second trimester were determined. ELISA was used to measure BPA in 200 MS/AF pairs in women carrying fetuses with normal karyotypes (Group I) and in 48 pairs with abnormal karyotypes (Group II). In Group I, BPA concentrations in AF (median: 0.26 ng/ml) were lower (P<0.01) than in MS (2.24 ng/ml). Over a 10-year period, yearly BPA concentrations in MS decreased from 5.62 to 0.99 ng/ml (P<0.001). Eight of the Group I AF samples had relatively high concentrations of BPA (2.80–5.62 ng/ml). In Group II, BPA concentrations in AF (0 ng/ml) were lower (P<0.01) than in MS (2.97 ng/ml). MS BPA concentrations in Group II were higher (P<0.01) than in Group I.

Introduction

2, 2-bis(4-Hydroxyphenyl)propane (bisphenol A; BPA), an environmental endocrine-disrupting chemical, has been used in the manufacture of polycarbonate, epoxy resins, and other plastics. Polycarbonate resins are employed for food-contact use, e.g., in food processors, microwave oven-ware, milk and juice containers, baby bottles, and in the interior coatings of cans. Release and migration of BPA monomer from polycarbonate products has been reported [1].

Perinatal exposure of murine fetuses and neonates to BPA at low doses typical for human environmental exposure has produced postnatal estrogenic effects such as increased prostate gland weight [2] and reduced sperm production in male offspring [3], advanced vaginal opening [4] and accelerated growth and puberty in female offspring [5], and disrupted sexual differentiation of the central nervous system and sexual behavior [6].

The perinatal period in mice corresponds to the period of sexual differentiation in the early human second trimester [7]. Human maternal serum (MS) and amniotic fluid (AF) BPA levels during that period have not been undetermined. This study aimed to determine BPA concentrations in the early second trimester over a 10-year period in order to estimate the risk of BPA exposure to human fetuses.

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Materials and methods

MS and AF samples were obtained during the preprandial period and stored at −80 °C immediately after centrifugation. Samples were collected at the time of genetic amniocentesis, biochemical, and hormonal analyses with written informed consent. Twenty age-matched paired samples per year between 1989 and 1998 were randomly selected from women carrying fetuses with normal karyotypes (Group I). These 200 Group I women underwent genetic amniocentesis at a mean gestational age±S.D. of 16.3±1.0 weeks

Results

Fig. 1 shows Group I BPA concentrations in MS and AF between 1989 and 1998. The median BPA concentration in MS over the 10-year period was 2.24 ng/ml, and individual values ranged from 0.63 to 14.36 ng/ml. The median AF BPA concentration was 0.26 ng/ml ranging from 0 to 5.62 ng/ml (Fig. 1, Table 1). Over the decade, median BPA MS concentrations significantly decreased from 5.62 in 1989 to 0.99 ng/ml in 1998 (P<0.001, ρ=−0.66), while AF concentrations fluctuated within a range between 0 and 0.68 

Discussion

Using the HPLC method, free BPA concentrations in human serum were reported to be 0.32 ng/ml [10] or 0–1.6 ng/ml [11]. A high correlation between the results from a novel ELISA kit used in the present study and the HPLC method was previously confirmed [8]. Although glucuronidation is a major pathway for the metabolism and excretion of BPA in mammals [12], this ELISA kit was able to detect glucuronide-conjugated BPA as well as unconjugated BPA [8]. Recently, using this ELISA method, the mean serum

Acknowledgements

This work was supported in part by Grants-in-Aid from the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports, and Culture; and from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Japan.

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