Exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances and sperm DNA global methylation in arctic and European populations

Giorgio Leter; Claudia Consales; Patrizia Eleuteri; Raffaella Uccelli; Ina O. Specht; Gunnar Toft; Tania Moccia; Alfredo Budillon; Bo A G Jönsson; Christian H. Lindh; Aleksander Giwercman; Henning S. Pedersen; Jan K. Ludwicki; Valentyna Zviezdai; Dick Heederik; Jens Peter E Bonde; Marcello Spanò

doi:10.1002/em.21874

Exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances and sperm DNA global methylation in arctic and European populations

Giorgio Leter, Claudia Consales, Patrizia Eleuteri, Raffaella Uccelli, Ina O. Specht, Gunnar Toft, Tania Moccia, Alfredo Budillon, Bo A G Jönsson, Christian H. Lindh, Aleksander Giwercman, Henning S. Pedersen, Jan K. Ludwicki, Valentyna Zviezdai, Dick Heederik, Jens Peter E Bonde, Marcello Spanò

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

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, Satα) 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 hyper-methylation 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.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	591-600
Number of pages	10
Journal	Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis
Volume	55
Issue number	7
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1002/em.21874
Publication status	Published - 1 Jan 2014

Keywords

DNA methylation
Epidemiology
Flow cytometry
Human spermatozoa
Perfluoroalkyl substances
Pyrosequencing

Access to Document

10.1002/em.21874

em21874Final published version, 124 KB

Cite this

Leter, G., Consales, C., Eleuteri, P., Uccelli, R., Specht, I. O., Toft, G., Moccia, T., Budillon, A., Jönsson, B. A. G., Lindh, C. H., Giwercman, A., Pedersen, H. S., Ludwicki, J. K., Zviezdai, V., Heederik, D., Bonde, J. P. E., & Spanò, M. (2014). Exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances and sperm DNA global methylation in arctic and European populations. Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis, 55(7), 591-600. https://doi.org/10.1002/em.21874

@article{11b1b964351d45b58d217e0ade08237c,

title = "Exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances and sperm DNA global methylation in arctic and European populations",

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, Satα) 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 hyper-methylation 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.",

keywords = "DNA methylation, Epidemiology, Flow cytometry, Human spermatozoa, Perfluoroalkyl substances, Pyrosequencing",

author = "Giorgio Leter and Claudia Consales and Patrizia Eleuteri and Raffaella Uccelli and Specht, {Ina O.} and Gunnar Toft and Tania Moccia and Alfredo Budillon and J{\"o}nsson, {Bo A G} and Lindh, {Christian H.} and Aleksander Giwercman and Pedersen, {Henning S.} and Ludwicki, {Jan K.} and Valentyna Zviezdai and Dick Heederik and Bonde, {Jens Peter E} and Marcello Span{\`o}",

year = "2014",

month = jan,

day = "1",

doi = "10.1002/em.21874",

language = "English",

volume = "55",

pages = "591--600",

journal = "Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis",

issn = "0893-6692",

publisher = "Wiley-Liss Inc.",

number = "7",

}

Leter, G, Consales, C, Eleuteri, P, Uccelli, R, Specht, IO, Toft, G, Moccia, T, Budillon, A, Jönsson, BAG, Lindh, CH, Giwercman, A, Pedersen, HS, Ludwicki, JK, Zviezdai, V, Heederik, D, Bonde, JPE & Spanò, M 2014, 'Exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances and sperm DNA global methylation in arctic and European populations', Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis, vol. 55, no. 7, pp. 591-600. https://doi.org/10.1002/em.21874

TY - JOUR

T1 - Exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances and sperm DNA global methylation in arctic and European populations

AU - Leter, Giorgio

AU - Consales, Claudia

AU - Eleuteri, Patrizia

AU - Uccelli, Raffaella

AU - Specht, Ina O.

AU - Toft, Gunnar

AU - Moccia, Tania

AU - Budillon, Alfredo

AU - Jönsson, Bo A G

AU - Lindh, Christian H.

AU - Giwercman, Aleksander

AU - Pedersen, Henning S.

AU - Ludwicki, Jan K.

AU - Zviezdai, Valentyna

AU - Heederik, Dick

AU - Bonde, Jens Peter E

AU - Spanò, Marcello

PY - 2014/1/1

Y1 - 2014/1/1

N2 - 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, Satα) 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 hyper-methylation 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.

AB - 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, Satα) 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 hyper-methylation 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.

KW - DNA methylation

KW - Epidemiology

KW - Flow cytometry

KW - Human spermatozoa

KW - Perfluoroalkyl substances

KW - Pyrosequencing

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84905655855&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1002/em.21874

DO - 10.1002/em.21874

M3 - Article

C2 - 24889506

AN - SCOPUS:84905655855

SN - 0893-6692

VL - 55

SP - 591

EP - 600

JO - Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis

JF - Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis

IS - 7

ER -

Exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances and sperm DNA global methylation in arctic and European populations

Abstract

Keywords

Access to Document

Fingerprint

Cite this