Investigation of associations between exposures to pesticides and testosterone levels in Thai farmers

We conducted a cross-sectional study to assess the relationship between pesticide exposures and testosterone levels in 133 male Thai farmers. Urine and serum samples were collected concurrently from participants. Urine was analyzed for levels of specific and nonspecific metabolites of organophosphates (OPs), pyrethroids, select herbicides, and fungicides. Serum was analyzed for total and free testosterone. Linear regression analyses revealed significant negative relationships between total testosterone and the herbicide 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) after controlling for covariates (eg, age, BMI, smoking status). Positive significant associations were found between some OP pesticides and total testosterone. Due to the small sample size and the observational nature of the study, future investigation is needed to confirm our results and to elucidate the biological mechanisms.

本研究针对133名泰国男性农民开展横断面研究，旨在评估农药暴露与睾酮水平的相关性。研究对象同时留取尿液与血清样本。对尿液样本中的有机磷酸酯（organophosphates, OPs）、拟除虫菊酯类、选定除草剂及杀菌剂的特异性与非特异性代谢产物水平进行了检测；对血清样本中的总睾酮与游离睾酮水平进行了检测。经协变量（如年龄、体质量指数（Body Mass Index, BMI）、吸烟状态）校正后，线性回归分析结果显示，总睾酮与除草剂2,4-二氯苯氧乙酸（2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, 2,4-D）之间存在显著负相关关系；部分有机磷酸酯类农药与总睾酮则呈现显著正相关关联。鉴于本研究样本量较小且为观察性研究，未来仍需开展相关研究以验证本研究结论并阐明其生物学机制。