Association of aldehyde exposure with sex steroid hormones among adults

Abstract Exogenous and Endogenous exposure to aldehyde is ubiquitous. Aldehyde is closely related to human diseases, especially reproductive toxicity. However, the effect of aldehyde exposure on sex steroid hormones among adults remains uninvestigated. A total of 851 participants aged over 18 years were included in the cross-sectional analysis based on the data from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2013–2014. Serum aldehyde concentrations were quantified through evaluated through an automated analytical method. Sex steroid hormones including total testosterone, estradiol and sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) were detected. Multivariate linear regression models, forest plots, generalized additive model (GAM) and smooth curve fitting analysis were used to assess the associations between quartiles of aldehydes and sex steroid hormones after adjusting the potential confounders. Butyraldehyde and propanaldehyde were negatively associated with estradiol and SHBG levels in females and males, respectively. Compared with lowest quartile, β with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were − 20.59 (-38.30 to -2.88) for second quartile of butyraldehyde, -8.13 (-14.92 to -1.33) and − 7.79 (-14.91 to -0.67) for second and fourth quartiles of propanaldehyde. No significant associations were observed between other aldehydes and sex hormones. In pre-menopausal women, isopentanaldehyde was inversely associated with serum total testosterone levels (Q4 vs. Q1: OR=-7.95, 95% CI: -15.62 to -0.27), while propanaldehyde was positively associated with serum estradiol concentration (Q3 vs. Q1: β = 28.88, 95% CI: 0.83 to 56.94). The third quartile of isopentanaldehyde was associated with 3.53 pg/mL higher concentration of estradiol in post-menopause (β = 3.53, 95% CI: 0.08 to 6.97). Moreover, in males under 40, butyraldehyde and heptanaldehyde were inversely related to total testosterone levels, heptanaldehyde and butyraldehyde were negatively associated with estradiol and SHBG. Decreased total testosterone, elevated estradiol, and decreased SHBG levels were found in higher quartiles of benzaldehyde, hexanaldehyde and isopentanaldehyde, and propanaldehyde, respectively in males over 60. In male participants aged 40–60, only hexanaldehyde was observed correlated with higher serum estradiol level. The research data indicated sex- and age- specific associations between 6 serum aldehydes and sex steroid hormones alterations, further studies are warranted to confirm the causal relationship and explore the underlying mechanisms.