Prenatal Cadmium Exposure and Maternal Sex Steroid Hormone Concentrations across Pregnancy

Zorimar Rivera-Núñez; Megan Hansel; Camila Capurro; Danielle Kozlosky; Christina Wang; Cathleen L. Doherty; Brian Buckley; Pamela Ohman-Strickland; Richard K. Miller; Thomas G. O’Connor; Lauren M. Aleksunes; Emily S. Barrett

doi:10.3390/toxics11070589

Prenatal Cadmium Exposure and Maternal Sex Steroid Hormone Concentrations across Pregnancy

Zorimar Rivera-Núñez, Megan Hansel, Camila Capurro, Danielle Kozlosky, Christina Wang, Cathleen L. Doherty, Brian Buckley, Pamela Ohman-Strickland, Richard K. Miller, Thomas G. O’Connor, Lauren M. Aleksunes, Emily S. Barrett

Rutgers, The State University

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Cadmium exposure has been associated with adverse perinatal outcomes. One possible mechanism is endocrine disruption. Studies of non-pregnant adults suggest that cadmium impacts androgen production; here, we examined these associations during pregnancy. Participants in the Understanding Pregnancy Signals and Infant Development (UPSIDE) cohort provided biospecimens and questionnaire data in each trimester (n = 272). We quantified urinary cadmium, serum total testosterone (TT), estrone, estradiol, and estriol and serum free testosterone (fT). In adjusted longitudinal models, we examined sex steroid concentrations across pregnancy in relation to specific gravity-adjusted, ln-transformed cadmium concentrations. Additionally, we examined trimester-specific associations and stratified models by fetal sex. Results are presented as percent change (%∆) in hormone concentrations. In longitudinal models, higher cadmium concentrations were associated with lower fT across pregnancy (%∆ = −5.19, 95%CI: −8.33, −1.93), with no differences in other hormones observed. In trimester-specific models, higher cadmium concentrations were associated with lower TT in trimester 2 (%∆ = −15.26, 95%CI: −25.15, −4.06) and lower fT in trimester 3 (%∆ = −14.35, 95%CI: −19.75, −8.59). Associations with TT were stronger in pregnancies carrying female fetuses. Maternal cadmium exposure may be associated with reduced testosterone in pregnancy. Additional work is necessary to understand how alterations in gestational testosterone activity may impact pregnancy and child health.

Original language	American English
Article number	589
Journal	Toxics
Volume	11
Issue number	7
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics11070589
State	Published - Jul 2023

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Toxicology
Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis
Chemical Health and Safety

Keywords

androgens
cadmium
pregnancy
sex steroid hormones
testosterone

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10.3390/toxics11070589

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title = "Prenatal Cadmium Exposure and Maternal Sex Steroid Hormone Concentrations across Pregnancy",

abstract = "Cadmium exposure has been associated with adverse perinatal outcomes. One possible mechanism is endocrine disruption. Studies of non-pregnant adults suggest that cadmium impacts androgen production; here, we examined these associations during pregnancy. Participants in the Understanding Pregnancy Signals and Infant Development (UPSIDE) cohort provided biospecimens and questionnaire data in each trimester (n = 272). We quantified urinary cadmium, serum total testosterone (TT), estrone, estradiol, and estriol and serum free testosterone (fT). In adjusted longitudinal models, we examined sex steroid concentrations across pregnancy in relation to specific gravity-adjusted, ln-transformed cadmium concentrations. Additionally, we examined trimester-specific associations and stratified models by fetal sex. Results are presented as percent change (%∆) in hormone concentrations. In longitudinal models, higher cadmium concentrations were associated with lower fT across pregnancy (%∆ = −5.19, 95%CI: −8.33, −1.93), with no differences in other hormones observed. In trimester-specific models, higher cadmium concentrations were associated with lower TT in trimester 2 (%∆ = −15.26, 95%CI: −25.15, −4.06) and lower fT in trimester 3 (%∆ = −14.35, 95%CI: −19.75, −8.59). Associations with TT were stronger in pregnancies carrying female fetuses. Maternal cadmium exposure may be associated with reduced testosterone in pregnancy. Additional work is necessary to understand how alterations in gestational testosterone activity may impact pregnancy and child health.",

keywords = "androgens, cadmium, pregnancy, sex steroid hormones, testosterone",

author = "Zorimar Rivera-N{\'u}{\~n}ez and Megan Hansel and Camila Capurro and Danielle Kozlosky and Christina Wang and Doherty, {Cathleen L.} and Brian Buckley and Pamela Ohman-Strickland and Miller, {Richard K.} and O{\textquoteright}Connor, {Thomas G.} and Aleksunes, {Lauren M.} and Barrett, {Emily S.}",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2023 by the authors.",

year = "2023",

month = jul,

doi = "10.3390/toxics11070589",

language = "American English",

volume = "11",

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T1 - Prenatal Cadmium Exposure and Maternal Sex Steroid Hormone Concentrations across Pregnancy

AU - Rivera-Núñez, Zorimar

AU - Hansel, Megan

AU - Capurro, Camila

AU - Kozlosky, Danielle

AU - Wang, Christina

AU - Doherty, Cathleen L.

AU - Buckley, Brian

AU - Ohman-Strickland, Pamela

AU - Miller, Richard K.

AU - O’Connor, Thomas G.

AU - Aleksunes, Lauren M.

AU - Barrett, Emily S.

PY - 2023/7

Y1 - 2023/7

N2 - Cadmium exposure has been associated with adverse perinatal outcomes. One possible mechanism is endocrine disruption. Studies of non-pregnant adults suggest that cadmium impacts androgen production; here, we examined these associations during pregnancy. Participants in the Understanding Pregnancy Signals and Infant Development (UPSIDE) cohort provided biospecimens and questionnaire data in each trimester (n = 272). We quantified urinary cadmium, serum total testosterone (TT), estrone, estradiol, and estriol and serum free testosterone (fT). In adjusted longitudinal models, we examined sex steroid concentrations across pregnancy in relation to specific gravity-adjusted, ln-transformed cadmium concentrations. Additionally, we examined trimester-specific associations and stratified models by fetal sex. Results are presented as percent change (%∆) in hormone concentrations. In longitudinal models, higher cadmium concentrations were associated with lower fT across pregnancy (%∆ = −5.19, 95%CI: −8.33, −1.93), with no differences in other hormones observed. In trimester-specific models, higher cadmium concentrations were associated with lower TT in trimester 2 (%∆ = −15.26, 95%CI: −25.15, −4.06) and lower fT in trimester 3 (%∆ = −14.35, 95%CI: −19.75, −8.59). Associations with TT were stronger in pregnancies carrying female fetuses. Maternal cadmium exposure may be associated with reduced testosterone in pregnancy. Additional work is necessary to understand how alterations in gestational testosterone activity may impact pregnancy and child health.

AB - Cadmium exposure has been associated with adverse perinatal outcomes. One possible mechanism is endocrine disruption. Studies of non-pregnant adults suggest that cadmium impacts androgen production; here, we examined these associations during pregnancy. Participants in the Understanding Pregnancy Signals and Infant Development (UPSIDE) cohort provided biospecimens and questionnaire data in each trimester (n = 272). We quantified urinary cadmium, serum total testosterone (TT), estrone, estradiol, and estriol and serum free testosterone (fT). In adjusted longitudinal models, we examined sex steroid concentrations across pregnancy in relation to specific gravity-adjusted, ln-transformed cadmium concentrations. Additionally, we examined trimester-specific associations and stratified models by fetal sex. Results are presented as percent change (%∆) in hormone concentrations. In longitudinal models, higher cadmium concentrations were associated with lower fT across pregnancy (%∆ = −5.19, 95%CI: −8.33, −1.93), with no differences in other hormones observed. In trimester-specific models, higher cadmium concentrations were associated with lower TT in trimester 2 (%∆ = −15.26, 95%CI: −25.15, −4.06) and lower fT in trimester 3 (%∆ = −14.35, 95%CI: −19.75, −8.59). Associations with TT were stronger in pregnancies carrying female fetuses. Maternal cadmium exposure may be associated with reduced testosterone in pregnancy. Additional work is necessary to understand how alterations in gestational testosterone activity may impact pregnancy and child health.

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KW - cadmium

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M1 - 589

ER -

Prenatal Cadmium Exposure and Maternal Sex Steroid Hormone Concentrations across Pregnancy

Abstract

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Keywords

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