To investigate the serum concentrations of 11 heavy metals and trace elements in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). A total of 369 women (including 96 patients with PCOS) were studied. No differences with statistical significance in the median barium, cadmium, lead, arsenic, chromium, gallium, strontium, and vanadium concentrations were observed between the patients with PCOS and the control group. Serum nickel (Ni) (P = 0.000) and copper (Cu) (P = 0.000) levels were significantly higher, but zinc (Zn) levels (P = 0.009) were significantly lower in patients with PCOS compared with the control group. The results of the association between metal levels and hormone levels indicated that Ni, Cu, and Zn may play a role in the pathogenesis of PCOS related with reproductive hormone levels. The findings in the present study should be investigated with further trials in order to obtain new insights into PCOS.

To better understand the relationship between prenatal exposure to heavy metals and trace elements and the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, we investigated the status of heavy metals and trace elements level in a Chinese population by collecting umbilical cord blood. Umbilical cord blood heavy metals and trace elements concentrations were determined by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. No differences with statistical significance in the median arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), cobalt (Co), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), strontium (Sr), thallium (Tl), vanadium (V), and zinc (Zn) concentrations were observed between the adverse pregnancy outcome group and the reference group. Titanium (Ti) and antimony (Sb) were found at higher levels with statistical significance in the cord blood samples with adverse pregnancy group when compared to the ones in the reference group. The association between Ti levels and the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes remained significant after adjusting for potential confounding factors, including newborn weight. These results indicated that environmental exposure to Ti may increase the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes in Chinese women without occupational exposure.

Epidemiological studies demonstrate that polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) induce diabetes and insulin resistance. However, the development of diabetes caused by PCBs and its underlying mechanisms are still unclear. In the present study, male C57BL/6 mice were orally administered with Aroclor 1254 (0.5, 5, 50, and 500 μg/kg) once every 3 days for 60 days. The body weight and the fasting blood glucose levels were significantly elevated; the levels of serum insulin, resistin, tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) increased, while glucagon levels decreased in the animals treated with Aroclor 1254. Pancreatic β-cell mass significantly increased, while α-cell mass was reduced. Aroclor 1254 inhibited the expression of the insulin receptor signaling cascade, including insulin receptor, insulin receptor substrate, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-Akt, and protein kinase B and glucose transporter 4, both in the skeletal muscle and the liver. The results suggested that chronic exposure to Aroclor 1254 disrupted glucose homeostasis and induced hyperinsulinemia. The significant elevation of serum resistin, TNFα and IL-6 indicated that obesity caused by Aroclor 1254 is associated with insulin resistance. The elevation of blood glucose levels could have been mainly as a result of insulin receptor signals pathway suppression in skeletal muscle and liver, and a decrease in pancreatic α-cells, accompanied by a reduction of serum glucagon levels, may play an important role in the development of type 2 diabetes.

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