Abstract
Dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (DL-PCBs) are environmental pollutants that have been associated with impaired semen quality. However, research on the potential impact of paternal exposure to DL-PCBs and the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes are limited. We examine the relationship between serum DL-PCB concentrations and IVF outcomes among 42 males seeking fertility treatment. Concentrations of 12 serum DL-PCBs were analyzed by high-resolution gas chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry. Modified Poisson regressions, adjusted for confounders, were used to assess bivariate associations and to estimate risk ratios (RRs) between DL-PCBs and binary IVF outcomes. The median concentration (25th-75th percentiles) of the sum of the 12 DL-PCBs (∑DL-PCBs) obtained for the patients was 5.42 (3.78–7.78) ng/g lipid. No statistically significant association between DL-PCB levels and embryo quality was found. However, men with high serum PCB-77 concentrations present more probability of high-quality embryos (RR: 0.292; 95% CI: 0.090–0.942), whereas the opposite trend is observed for men with lower serum levels of PCB-156 (RR: 7.960; 95% CI: 1.020–62.100), who present increased odds of high-quality embryos. Serum concentrations of PCB-126 and PCB-114 were associated with decreased implantation rates (p < 0.05). Moreover, PCB-77 and ∑non-ortho PCBs were significantly associated with a lower likelihood of clinical pregnancy (p < 0.05). A lower likelihood of live birth was associated with higher levels of PCB-77, PCB-105, PCB-118, and recording significant differences for ∑non-ortho PCBs, ∑mono-ortho PCBs, and ∑DL-PCBs (p < 0.05).These findings suggest that paternal DL-PCB exposure before conception may be related to pregnancy endpoints. However, DL-PCB measurement were limited to male partners. Therefore, we propose that future studies with larger population sizes should include both maternal and paternal factors.
Highlights
Environmental pollutants exert adverse physiological effects on testicular function and male fertility (Swan, 2006)
Dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (DL-PCBs) are environmental pollutants that have been associated with impaired semen quality
We examine the relationship between serum DL-PCB concentrations and in vitro fertilization (IVF) outcomes among 42 males seeking fertility treatment
Summary
Environmental pollutants exert adverse physiological effects on testicular function and male fertility (Swan, 2006). Similar to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), one of the most toxic pollutants known, DL-PCBs bind to the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) (van den Berg et al, 2006), showing a decrease in sperm quality and sperm DNA integrity (Meeker and Hauser, 2010). They are identified as endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs), disrupting hormonal functions, especially during early development and pregnancy (Mitro et al, 2015). Studying couples undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) provides us with the opportunity to explore the impact of paternal preconception serum concentrations of DL-PCBs on pregnancy endpoints
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