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The sex-specific association between maternal urinary paraben levels and offspring size at birth

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Abstract

Parabens are a group of antimicrobial preservatives applied in an extensive range of products and are suspected to impair fetal growth because of their disrupting effect on the endocrine system. We aimed to examine maternal urinary paraben concentrations and their neonates’ outcome indexes. Methylparaben (MP), ethylparaben (EP), propylparaben (PP), and butylparaben (BP) concentrations were measured in 105 maternal urine samples collected before delivery. Length, weight, and head circumference at birth were extracted from the mothers’ delivery files. A multivariable linear regression analysis was performed to evaluate the association between paraben levels and neonatal anthropometric indices. The median levels of urinary parabens, especially BP, were higher than those in other countries. Prenatal urinary concentration of MP and BP showed a significantly positive association with birth weight in all neonates (β = 0.79, 95% CI: 0.16, 1.41, and β = 8.56, 95% CI: 3.95, 13.17, respectively), while these chemicals showed a significant negative association with head circumference (β = − 0.002, 95% CI: − 0.004, − 0.000, and β = − 0.016, 95% CI: − 0.030, − 0.002, respectively). A significant positive association between MP and birth length was also found (β = 0.004, 95% CI: 0.00, 0.00) in all the neonates. In sex-stratified adjusted models, MP and BP were found to be associated, respectively, with higher birth length and weight in male neonates (β = 0.008, 95% CI: − 0.001, 0.017, and β = 7.948, 95% CI: 1.045, 14.851). In girls, maternal urinary MP, PP, and BP were associated with increased birth weight (β = 0.831, 95% CI: 0.043, 1.620; β = 4.178, 95% CI: 0.877, 7.480; and β = 10.821, 95% CI: 3.545, 18.097, respectively), and MP and BP were associated with reduced head circumference at birth (β = − 0.003, 95% CI: − 0.005, − 0.001, and β = − 0.035, 95% CI: − 0.055, − 0.016). These results revealed potential impacts between neonatal growth and maternal exposure to parabens. However, these findings should be interpreted while considering the limitations of the present study.

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The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author (Ghasem kiani Feizabadi) upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the financial assistance received from the Vice-Chancellor of Research of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences (IUMS), Iran.

Funding

This work was supported by the Isfahan University of Medical Science (grant number: 198001).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Environment Research Center, Research Institute for Primordial Prevention of Non-Communicable Disease, University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

    Yaghoub Hajizadeh

  2. Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Health, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

    Yaghoub Hajizadeh

  3. Student Research Committee, School of Health, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

    Maryam Moradnia, Ghasem Kiani Feizabadi, Masoumeh Tahmasbizadeh, Saeid Fadaei & Hossein Karimi

  4. Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Health, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran

    Ghasem Kiani Feizabadi & Nasim Rafiei

  5. Environment Research Center, Research Institute for Primordial Prevention of Non-Communicable Disease, University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

    Nasim Rafiei

  6. Research Center for Health, Safety and Environment (RCHSE), Alborz University of Medical Sciences, Karaj, Iran

    Mohammad Darvishmotevalli

Authors
  1. Yaghoub Hajizadeh
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  2. Maryam Moradnia
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  3. Ghasem Kiani Feizabadi
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  4. Nasim Rafiei
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  5. Masoumeh Tahmasbizadeh
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  6. Mohammad Darvishmotevalli
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  7. Saeid Fadaei
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  8. Hossein Karimi
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Contributions

The authors confirm contribution to the paper as follows: study conception and design: Yaghoub Hajizadeh, Ghasem Kiani Feizabadi; material preparation: Ghasem Kiani Feizabadi, Nasim Rafiei, Maryam Moradnia; data collection: Maryam Moradnia, Masoumeh Tahmasbizadeh, Mohammad Darvishmotevalli, Saeid Fadaei, Hossein Karimi; analysis and interpretation of results: Ghasem Kiani Feizabadi, Saeid Fadaei; draft manuscript preparation: Yaghoub Hajizadeh, Ghasem Kiani Feizabadi, Maryam Moradnia. All authors reviewed the results and approved the final version of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Ghasem Kiani Feizabadi.

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This study was approved by the Ethics Committee, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences (code: IR.MUI.RESEARCH.REC.1398.092). The procedures used in this study adhere to the tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki.

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Hajizadeh, Y., Moradnia, M., Kiani Feizabadi, G. et al. The sex-specific association between maternal urinary paraben levels and offspring size at birth. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28, 36029–36038 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-13175-3

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