Exposure to bisphenosl linked to a reduction in sperm quality
A greater exposure to bisphenols, a group of chemical compounds found in everyday products, is associated with a reduction in the quality of sperm, according to a new study which included the involvement of the UAB. The results highlight the urgent need to review the safety of these compounds and their effects on male fertility.
The study was led by a research team from the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), the Institut d'Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili (IISPV) and the CiberObn consortium, and its first author is María Ángeles Martínez, currently a lecturer in the Department of Pharmacology, Therapeutics and Toxicology at the UAB. Staff from the University of the Faroe Islands also participated.
Bisphenols, such as bisphenol A (BPA), bisphenol S (BPS) and bisphenol F (BPF), are widely used in the manufacturing of plastics and epoxy resins, and are found in food packaging, plastic bottles and can linings, among other products. These compounds, also known as hormone disruptors, have the ability to alter the function of the endocrine system. Exposure to bisphenols comes mainly from the consumption of food or beverages contaminated by packagings containing these compounds.
The study, carried out in collaboration with other international centres, analysed the relationship between urinary BPA, BPS and BPF levels and several semen quality parameters in 195 Spanish men of reproductive age with no history of infertility. This research formed part of the Led-Fertyl (Lifestyle and Environmental Determinants of Fertility) study, which is intended to be expanded with volunteers from other European countries.
The results of the research showed a significant inverse association between urine levels of BPA and BPF and sperm vitality. Specifically, it was observed that higher levels of these compounds were associated with lower sperm vitality. In addition, all participants exceeded the new tolerable daily intake (TDI) limits set by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) for BPA, suggesting widespread exposure to these endocrine disruptors above levels considered safe.
According to researcher María Ángeles Martínez, first author of the study, “these results underline the urgent need to review the safety of these compounds and their impact on male fertility”. In addition, the research team warns that, if these harmful effects are confirmed in other populations, it will be necessary to implement more restrictive policies on the use of bisphenols to reduce fertility problems.
These results, published in the scientific journal Environmental Research, provide new evidence on the harmful effects of bisphenols on male reproductive health, and highlight the need to re-evaluate the safety of compounds such as BPS and BPF, recently used as substitutes for BPA.
Original article: María Ángeles Martínez et al... Exploring the association between urinary bisphenol A, S, and F levels and semen quality parameters: Findings from Led-Fertyl cross-sectional study Environmental Research, 2024. ISSN 0013-9351, Doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.120086.