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BPA exposure is associated with non-monotonic alteration in ESR1 promoter methylation in peripheral blood of men and shorter relative telomere length in peripheral blood of women

Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology volume 29, pages 118–128 (2019)Cite this article

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential association of urinary Bisphenol A (BPA) levels with estrogen receptor alpha (ESR1) promoter % methylation and relative telomere length in a sample of 482 participants. Urinary BPA concentration was measured using organic phase extraction followed by high performance liquid chromatography mass spectroscopy. Peripheral blood ESR1 promoter % methylation and relative telomere length were measured using direct bisulfite sequencing and real-time polymerase chain reaction, respectively. The mean ± SD urinary BPA concentration adjusted for urinary creatinine was 2.90 ± 4.81 (μg/g creatinine) with a median of 1.86 μg/g creatinine (min–max: <LOD −69.85). There was a potentially non-monotonic relationship between adjusted urinary BPA concentrations and ESR1 promoter % methylation in men. As a matter of fact, for the lowest tertile of ESR1 promoter % methylation, the OR and 95% CI of the middle and highest tertiles of urinary adjusted BPA were 2.54 (1.01–6.39) and 1.64 (0.55–4.86) when compared to the lowest BPA tertile, respectively. After adjustment for potential confounders, similar results remained in men and appeared in the whole cohort. As for relative telomere length, there was a significant trend whereby higher adjusted urinary BPA concentrations were significantly associated with shorter relative telomere length in females. For instance, for the shortest relative telomere length tertile, the OR and 95% CI of the middle and highest tertiles of urinary adjusted BPA were 2.91 (1.38–6.16) and 3.19 (1.57–6.49) when compared to the lowest BPA tertile, respectively. This trend remained significant after adjustment for potential confounders.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the American University of Beirut Faculty of Medicine seed grant to Dr. Hani Tamim and Research grant to Dr. Nathalie K. Zgheib as well as a Lebanese National Council for Scientific Research (LNCSR) PhD scholarship award to Miss Zainab Awada.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon

    Z. Awada, F. Sleiman & N. K. Zgheib

  2. Clinical Research Institute, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon

    A. Mailhac & H. Tamim

  3. Kamal A. Shair Central Research Science Laboratory, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon

    Y. Mouneimne

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  1. Z. Awada
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Awada, Z., Sleiman, F., Mailhac, A. et al. BPA exposure is associated with non-monotonic alteration in ESR1 promoter methylation in peripheral blood of men and shorter relative telomere length in peripheral blood of women. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 29, 118–128 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41370-018-0030-4

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Keywords

  • Bisphenol A
  • Estrogen receptor alpha
  • relative telomere length

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