Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

Transplacental passage of antimicrobial paraben preservatives

Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology volume 25, pages 604–607 (2015)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Parabens are widely used preservatives suspected of being endocrine disruptors, with implications for human growth and development. The most common paraben found in consumer products is methylparaben. To date, no study has examined whether these substances cross the human placenta. A total of 100 study subjects (50 mother–child pairs) were enrolled at two medical institutions, serving primarily African-American and Caucasian women, respectively. A maternal blood sample was drawn on admission and a paired cord blood sample was obtained at delivery. Of the 50 mothers, 47 (94%) showed methylparaben in their blood (mean level 20.41 ng/l), and 47 in cords bloods (mean level 36.54 ng/l). There were 45 mother–child pairs where methylparaben was found in both samples. Of these, the fetal level was higher than the maternal level in 23 (51%). For butylparaben, only 4 mothers (8%) showed detectable levels (mean 40.54 ng/l), whereas 8 cord blood samples (16%) were positive (mean 32.5 ng/l). African-American mothers and infants showed higher prevalence of detectable levels (P=0.017). Methylparaben and butylparaben demonstrate transplacental passage. Additional studies are needed to examine potential differences in exposure by geography and demographics, what products are used by pregnant women that contain these preservatives, as well as any potential long-term effects in the growth and development of exposed children.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Get just this article for as long as you need it

$39.95

Learn more

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  1. Darbre PD, Harvey PW . Paraben esters: review of recent studies of endocrine toxicity, absorption, esterase and human exposure, and discussion of potential human health risks. J Appl Toxicol 2008; 28: 561–578.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Rastogi SC, Schouten A, de Kruijf N, Weijland JW . Contents of methyl-, ethyl-, propyl-, butyl- and benzylparaben in cosmetic products. Contact Dermatitis 1995; 32: 28–30.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Ali EH, Elgoly AH . Combined prenatal and postnatal butyl paraben exposure produces autism-like symptoms in offspring: comparison with valproic acid autistic model. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2013; 111: 102–110.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Boberg J, Metzdorff S, Wortziger R, Axelstad M, Brokken L, Vinggaard AM et al. Impact of diisobutyl phthalate and other PPAR agonists on steroidogenesis and plasma insulin and leptin levels in fetal rats. Toxicology 2008; 250: 75–81.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Boberg J, Taxvig C, Christiansen S, Hass U . Possible endocrine disrupting effects of parabens and their metabolites. Reproduct Toxicol 2010; 30: 301–312.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Chen J, Ahn KC, Gee NA, Gee SJ, Hammock BD, Lasley BL et al. Antiandrogenic properties of parabens and other phenolic containing small molecules in personal care products. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 2007; 221: 278–284.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Harvey PW . Parabens, oestrogenicity, underarm cosmetics and breast cancer: a perspective on a hypothesis. J Appl Toxicol 2003; 23: 285–288.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Shaw J, deCatanzaro D . Estrogenicity of parabens revisited: impact of parabens on early pregnancy and an uterotrophic assay in mice. Reproduct Toxicol 2009; 28: 26–31.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Taxvig C, Vinggaard AM, Hass U, Axelstad M, Boberg J, Hansen PR et al. Do parabens have the ability to interfere with steroidogenesis? Toxicol Sci 2008; 106: 206–213.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Terasaka S, Inoue A, Tanji M, Kiyama R . Expression profiling of estrogen-responsive genes in breast cancer cells treated with alkylphenols, chlorinated phenols, parabens, or bis- and benzoylphenols for evaluation of estrogenic activity. Toxicol Lett 2006; 163: 130–141.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. van Meeuwen JA, van Son O, Piersma AH, de Jong PC, van den Berg M . Aromatase inhibiting and combined estrogenic effects of parabens and estrogenic effects of other additives in cosmetics. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 2008; 230: 372–382.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Calafat AM, Ye X, Wong LY, hop AM, Needham LL . Urinary concentrations of four parabens in the U.S. population: NHANES 2005-2006. Environ Health Perspect 2010; 118: 679–685.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Engel LS, Buckley JP, Yang G, Liao LM, Satagopan J, Calafat AM et al. Predictors and variability of repeat measurements of urinary phenols and parabens in a cohort of shanghai women and men. Environ Health Perspect 2014; 122: 733–740.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Frederiksen H, Jorgensen N, Andersson AM . Parabens in urine, serum and seminal plasma from healthy Danish men determined by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). J Expos Sci Environ Epidemiol 2011; 21: 262–271.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Smith KW, Braun JM, Williams PL, Ehrlich S, Correia KF, Calafat AM et al. Predictors and variability of urinary paraben concentrations in men and women, including before and during pregnancy. Environ Health Perspect 2012; 120: 1538–1543.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Smith KW, Souter I, Dimitriadis I, Ehrlich S, Williams PL, Calafat AM et al. Urinary paraben concentrations and ovarian aging among women from a fertility center. Environ Health Perspect 2013; 121: 1299–1305.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Tefre de Renzy-Martin K, Frederiksen H, Christensen JS, Boye Kyhl H, Andersson AM, Husby S et al. Current exposure of 200 pregnant Danish women to phthalates, parabens and phenols. Reproduction 2014; 147: 443–453.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Braun JM, Just AC, Williams PL, Smith KW, Calafat AM, Houser R et al. Personal care product use and urinary phthalate metabolite and paraben concentrations during pregnancy among women from a fertility clinic. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 2014; 24: 459–466.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Zhang L, Dong L, Ding S, Qiao P, Wang C, Zhang M et al. Effects of n-butylparaben on steroidogenesis and spermatogenesis through changed E2 levels in male rat offspring. Environ Toxicol Pharmacol 2014; 37: 705–717.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Alam MS, Kurohmaru M . Disruption of Sertoli cell vimentin filaments in prepubertal rats: an acute effect of butylparaben in vivo and in vitro. Acta Histochem 2014; 116: 682–687.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Isling LK, Boberg J, Jacobsen PR, Mandrup KR, Axelstad M, Christiansen S et al. Late-life effects on rat reproductive system after developmental exposure to mixtures of endocrine disrupters. Reproduction 2014; 147: 465–476.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Ahn HJ, An BS, Jung EM, Yang H, Choi KC, Jeung EB et al. Parabens inhibit the early phase of folliculogenesis and steroidogenesis in the ovaries of neonatal rats. Mol Reprod Dev 2012; 79: 626–636.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Oishi S . Effects of propyl paraben on the male reproductive system. Food Chem Toxicol 2002; 40: 1807–1.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Oishi S . Lack of spermatotoxic effects of methyl and ethyl esters of p-hydroxybenzoic acid in rats. Food Chem Toxicol 2004; 42: 1845–1849.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Mathiesen L, Zuri G, Andersen MH, Knudsen LE . A proposed study on the transplacental transport of parabens in the human placental perfusion model. Altern Lab Anim 2013; 41: 473–482.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Vela-Soria F, Rodríguez I, Ballesteros O, Zafra-Gómez A, Ballesteros L, Cela R et al. Simplified matrix solid phase dispersion procedure for the determination of parabens and benzophenone-ultraviolet filters in human placental tissue samples. J Chromatogr A 2014; 1371: 39–47.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Hornung R.W., Reed L.D . Estimation of average concentration in the presence of nondetectable values. Appl Occup Environ Hyg 1990; 5: 46–51.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Maternal-Fetal, Medicine, University of Tennessee Medical Center, Knoxville, TN, USA

    Craig V Towers, Bobby Howard, Beth Weitz & Stephanie Porter

  2. Department of Surgery, University of Tennessee Medical Center, Knoxville, TN, USA

    Paul D Terry

  3. Department of Public Health, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA

    Paul D Terry, Rebekah C M Kennedy & Jiangang Chen

  4. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL, USA

    David Lewis, Wesley Chambers & Casey Armistead

  5. Center for Environmental Biotechnology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA

    Christopher J Borman

Authors
  1. Craig V Towers
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Paul D Terry
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. David Lewis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Bobby Howard
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Wesley Chambers
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Casey Armistead
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Beth Weitz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Stephanie Porter
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Christopher J Borman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  10. Rebekah C M Kennedy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  11. Jiangang Chen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Paul D Terry.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Towers, C., Terry, P., Lewis, D. et al. Transplacental passage of antimicrobial paraben preservatives. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 25, 604–607 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/jes.2015.27

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/jes.2015.27

Keywords

  • consumer product safety
  • cross-sectional studies
  • endocrine-disrupting chemicals
  • parabens
  • transplacental exposure

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links