Environmental mercury exposure, semen quality and reproductive hormones in Greenlandic Inuit and European men: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Several animal studies indicate that mercury is a male reproductive toxicant, but human studies are few and contradictory. We examined semen characteristics and serum levels of reproductive hormones in relation to environmental exposure to mercury. Blood and semen samples were collected from 529 male partners of pregnant women living in Greenland, Poland and Ukraine between May 2002 and February 2004. The median concentration of the total content of mercury in whole blood was 9.2 ng ml 21 in Greenland (0.2-385.8 ng ml 21 ), 1.0 ng ml 21 in Poland (0.2-6.4 ng ml 21 ) and 1.0 ng ml 21 in Ukraine (0.2-4.9 ng ml 21 ). We found a significantly positive association between the blood levels of mercury and serum concentration of inhibin B in men from Greenland (b50.074, 95% confidence interval (CI)50.021 to 0.126) and in an analysis including men from all three regions (b50.067, 95% CI50.024 to 0.110). The association may be due to beneficial effects of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), which are contained in seafood and fish. No significant association (P.0.05) was found between blood concentrations of mercury and any of the other measured semen characteristics (semen volume, total sperm count, sperm concentration, morphology and motility) and reproductive hormones (free androgen index (FAI), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), testosterone and LH3testosterone) in any region. In conclusion, the findings do not provide evidence that environmental mercury exposure in Greenlandic and European men with median whole blood concentration up to 10 ng ml 21 has adverse effects on biomarkers of male reproductive health.

Phthalates, perfluoroalkyl acids, metals and organochlorines and reproductive function: a multipollutant assessment in Greenlandic, Polish and Ukrainian men

“…We also confirm a previously reported strong positive association between mercury and inhibin B 40. As inhibin B, predominantly excreted by Sertoli cells, is correlated with sperm concentration and counts and serves as a marker of spermatogenesis,44 this positive association is contrary to a deleterious effect of exposure.…”

“…As inhibin B, predominantly excreted by Sertoli cells, is correlated with sperm concentration and counts and serves as a marker of spermatogenesis,44 this positive association is contrary to a deleterious effect of exposure. The authors40 suggest that this association may be driven by a higher consumption of seafood—particularly relevant for Greenlandic Inuit—and the resultant concomitant exposure to mercury and ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. There are indications that the latter may beneficially impact certain semen quality parameters 45.…”

Analysis of the relationship between the blood concentration of several metals, macro- and micronutrients and endocrine disorders associated with male aging

“…It is known that Hg binds to the estrogen receptor and impairs the action of E 2 (Tilghman et al 2008). Mocevic et al (2013) studied men coming from the area of Greenland, Poland and Ukraine, and found no relationship between wholeblood Hg and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), TT and FAI, although they did not determine E 2 levels. Rambousková et al (2014) studying the concentration of Hg in the blood of people at geriatric age showed a negative correlation between Hg and age.…”

Effects of Metallic Elements on Reproduction and Development

“…The main results of relevant studies are shown in Table 1. However, some groups have found no influence of Pb, Cd, or Hg on sperm (Noack-Füller et al, 1993;Kasperczyk et al, 2002;Bonde et al, 2002;Mocevic et al, 2013).…”