MSACL 2025 Abstract

Environmental Contaminants and Sex Hormones in the Elderly: A Cross-Sectional Population Study

Mark M Kushnir (1,2), Samira Salihovic (3), Jonas Bergquist (2,4), P. Monica Lind (4), and Lars Lind (4)
(1) ARUP Institute for Clinical and Experimental Pathology, Salt Lake City, UT (2) University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT (3) Örebro University, Orebro, Sweden (4) Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden

Mark Kushnir, PhD (Presenter) ARUP Institute for Clinical & Experimental Pathology

Presenter Bio: Mark Kushnir is Scientific Director of Mass Spectrometry R&D at ARUP Institute for Clinical and Experimental Pathology and Adjunct Professor at the Department of Pathology, University of Utah School of Medicine. Mark received PhD in Analytical Chemistry from Uppsala University (Uppsala, Sweden); his main areas of interest include development, application and clinical evaluation of novel mass spectrometry based clinical diagnostic methods for small molecule, protein and peptide biomarkers. He is author/coauthor of over 110 scientific peer reviewed publications.

Relevant Financial Disclosures (within past 24 months, reported on Jun 11, 2026) No relevant financial relationship(s) to disclose.

INTRODUCTION
Sex hormones (SHs) play important physiological role during all stages of life. As we age, the concentrations of SHs decrease, which is linked to various morbidities. Effects of environmental contaminants (ECs) on endocrine systems have been reported, but few studies assessed associations between ECs and SHs in elderly.

OBJECTIVES
To investigate whether blood concentrations of four classes of ECs were associated with SHs and SHBG concentrations in elderly men and women.

METHODS
Samples from participants of the cross-sectional population-based Prospective Investigation of the Vasculature in Uppsala Seniors study (PIVUS, 70-year-old men and women, n=1016) were analysed using validated mass spectrometry-based methods for four SHs (testosterone (Te), dihydrotestosterone (DHT), estrone and estradiol (E2)), 23 persistent organic pollutants (POP), 8 perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), 4 phthalates, and 11 metals. Sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) was analysed using an immunoassay.

RESULTS
Number of the ECs analyzed in this study were found to be associated with increased or decreased concentrations of the measured SHs and SHBG. In addition to evaluation of the effects of the individual pollutants, using multivariate linear regression analysis, we generated statistical models describing association between the SHs and SHBG concentrations with concentration of the ECs. The strongest associations for SHs and SHBG concentrations were observed with the polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). In men, the strongest associations with concentrations of SHs and SHBG were seen for PCBs containing >5 chlorine atoms, monoethyl phthalate (MEP), Ni and Cd; and in women, with PCBs, MEP, several of the PFAS, Ni, Co and Cd. The R2 values for the models ranged between 0.06 and 0.21, with the highest R2 values observed for associations with DHT concentrations in men, E2 concentrations in women, and SHBG concentration in both, men and women. To assess ability of the derived models to predict abnormal values of SHs and SHBG concentrations (values outside of the age- and sex-specific reference intervals) we performed logistic regression analysis. Area under ROC curve above 0.75 was observed for Te, DHT and E2 in men, and for E2 and SHBG in women, suggesting that abnormal concentrations of the SHs and SHBG could be in part explained by the impact of the ECs.

CONCLUSIONS
Results of this study suggest that in elderly subjects, concentrations of many ECs associated with concentrations of SHs and SHBG. A number of the associations we observed were consistent with findings reported in earlier studies. Further studies are needed to confirm our observations and to assess effect of the pollutants on endocrine system function.