Blood metal levels and serum testosterone concentrations in male and female children and adolescents: NHANES 2011–2012

Abstract

Environmental exposure to metals is ubiquitous, but its relation to androgen hormone levels is not well understood, especially in children and adolescents. This study aimed to explore the relationship between blood metal concentrations (lead, cadmium, total mercury, selenium, and manganese) and serum total testosterone (TT) levels in 6–19-year-old children and adolescents in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011–2012. Weighted multivariable linear regression models using NHANES sampling weights were employed to evaluate the association between log-transformed serum TT and each metal categories in male and female children (age 6-11years) and adolescents (age 12–19 years). We established that blood cadmium and manganese levels were associated with significantly higher serum TT levels in the female adolescents. Additionally, the blood selenium levels in male adolescents were related to significantly higher serum TT. No significant associations between blood lead or total mercury levels and TT were observed in children or adolescents of either sex. These findings suggest that environmental exposure to certain metals could affect serum TT levels in adolescents, which might have important implications for the health of adolescents. Further research is required to confirm and extend our present findings.

Interaction of Cytochrome C Oxidase with Steroid Hormones

“…1 × 10 −10 -1.2 × 10 −8 M for free testosterone and ca. 2 × 10 −8 -5 × 10 −7 M for free estradiol [25,26] that seems to be incompatible with the K i values of 10 −5 -10 −4 M determined for the hormone action on CcO in our experiments. However, it is noted that steroid hormones are very lipophilic and partition from water to octanol with a coefficient of 10 3 -10 4 [27], so that their concentration in the mitochondrial membranes may be very much higher than in blood serum.…”

Effects of Lead on Reproductive Health

“…In a study carried out to evaluate the relationship between blood metal concentrations and testosterone levels in the USA, children and adolescents' concentrations of lead, cadmium, mercury, and selenium in blood, as well as serum testosterone levels, were determined [102]. Although no significant association between blood lead and total testosterone (TT) was observed, the concentrations of TT were significantly higher for girls in the fourth quartile compared to those in the first quartile.…”

Risk factors on testicular function in adolescents

“…A very recent study on 133 boys aged 15-17 reported that combined exposure to toxic metals was associated with increased testosterone and LH [121]. A positive association of heavy metals with total testosterone levels was also observed in the NHANES cohort of adolescents [122], suggesting a compensatory mechanism possibly due to inefficient recognition of testosterone on its receptor, as confirmed by elevated LH levels. A study on 111 adolescents (age [12][13][14] with increased urinary cadmium levels reported delayed onset of puberty, reduced testicular volume, but reduced testosterone and LH levels, probably due to a direct toxic effect of cadmium on the Leydig cells [123].…”