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Is there any association between urinary metabolites of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and thyroid hormone levels in children and adolescents?

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Abstract

Considering the possible effects of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) on thyroid function, the current study aims to investigate the association of PAH urinary metabolites with the level of thyroid hormones in a sample of Iranian children and adolescents. This cross-sectional study was conducted from September 2015 to July 2016 in Isfahan, Iran. Participants were 150 students, aged 6–18 years, who were selected by multistage cluster random sampling from schools of Isfahan province. Blood and urine samples of participants were obtained for measurement of thyroid hormone levels (measured by immunoradiometric assay) and PAH urinary metabolites, including 1-hydroxynaphthalene, 2-hydroxynaphthalene, 9-hydroxyphenanthrene, and 1-hydroxypyrene. The association of serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and PAH urinary metabolites was determined by correlation and regression analyses. Multivariate regression analysis revealed significant association between serum TSH and PAH urinary metabolites; this association remained significant after adjustment for gender and age. The corresponding figures were r = 0.85 for 1-naphthol, r = 0.86 for 2-naphthol, r = 0.87 for 1-hydroxypyrene, and r = 0.42 for 9-phenantrol, respectively, all p values < 0.001. The mean levels of 1-hydroxypyrene and 9-phenanthrol were higher in boys than those in girls (p < 0.05). The findings of this study indicated significant positive association between urinary PAH biomarkers and the TSH level in children and adolescents. It can be suggested that long-term exposure to PAHs might result in thyroid function impairment. The clinical implication of the current findings should be confirmed by future longitudinal studies.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Child Growth and Development Research Center, Research Institute for Primordial Prevention of Non-communicable Disease, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

    Roya Kelishadi, Silva Hovsepian & Mahin Hashemipour

  2. Imam Hossein Hospital, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

    Payam Sobhani & Mahin Hashemipour

  3. Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Environment Research Center, Research Institute for Primordial Prevention of Non-communicable Disease, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

    Parinaz Poursafa, Mohammad Mehdi Amin & Karim Ebrahimpour

  4. Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Faculty of Health, Isfahan University of Medical Science, Isfahan, Iran

    Marjan Mansourian

  5. Department of Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism, Ilam University of Medical Sciences, Ilam, Iran

    Reza Najafi

  6. Endocrine and Metabolism Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

    Mahin Hashemipour

Authors
  1. Roya Kelishadi
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  2. Payam Sobhani
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  3. Parinaz Poursafa
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  4. Mohammad Mehdi Amin
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  5. Karim Ebrahimpour
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  6. Silva Hovsepian
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  7. Marjan Mansourian
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  8. Reza Najafi
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  9. Mahin Hashemipour
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mahin Hashemipour.

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Written informed consent was obtained from parents and oral assent from students. The study was approved by the regional Ethics committee of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences (Project No. 194274).

Additional information

Responsible editor: Philippe Garrigues

Appendix

Appendix

Table 3 Indicators for quality assurance for measurement of the urinary metabolites of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
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Kelishadi, R., Sobhani, P., Poursafa, P. et al. Is there any association between urinary metabolites of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and thyroid hormone levels in children and adolescents?. Environ Sci Pollut Res 25, 1962–1968 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-017-0577-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-017-0577-y

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