ArticleEnvironmental health perspectives2003
The relationship between environmental exposures to phthalates and DNA damage in human sperm using the neutral comet assay.
Article in Environmental health perspectives, 2003. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 70 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
70 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 305 citations in OpenAlex.
- The classic EDCs, phthalate esters and organochlorines, in relation to abnormal sperm quality: a systematic review with meta-analysis.Scientific reports · 2016Pooled it
- Community-based insights into the connection between endocrine-disrupting chemicals and depressive symptoms.Current research in toxicology · 2025Article
- Article
- A study on the association of placental and maternal urinary phthalate metabolites.Journal of exposure science & environmental epidemiology · 2023Article
- Phthalates impact on the epigenetic factors contributed specifically by the father at fertilization.Epigenetics & chromatin · 2023Article
- From Oxidative Stress to Male Infertility: Review of the Associations of Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals (Bisphenols, Phthalates, and Parabens) with Human Semen Quality.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Review
- Genotoxic risk assessment and mechanism of DNA damage induced by phthalates and their metabolites in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells.Scientific reports · 2021Article
- Effect of phthalates exposure during perinatal period on hormonal profile in Mexican males during their first months of life.Toxicology reports · 2021Article
- Phthalates exposure during pregnancy a study in a Mexican cohort.Toxicology reports · 2021Article
- Gene expression profiles for low-dose exposure to diethyl phthalate in rodents and humans: a translational study with implications for breast carcinogenesis.Scientific reports · 2020Article
- Assessing effects of germline exposure to environmental toxicants by high-throughput screening in C. elegans.PLoS genetics · 2019Article
- Genotoxic, histologic, immunohistochemical, morphometric and hormonal effects of di-(2-ethylhexyl)-phthalate (DEHP) on reproductive systems in pre-pubertal male rats.Toxicology research · 2018Article
- Ruminal impaction due to plastic materials - An increasing threat to ruminants and its impact on human health in developing countries.Veterinary world · 2018Review
- Residential distance to major roadways and semen quality, sperm DNA integrity, chromosomal disomy, and serum reproductive hormones among men attending a fertility clinic.International journal of hygiene and environmental health · 2018Article
- Associations between Urinary Phthalate Metabolites and Serum Anti-Müller Hormone Levels in U.S. Men Based on National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2003-2004.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2017Article
- Preconception urinary phthalate concentrations and sperm DNA methylation profiles among men undergoing IVF treatment: a cross-sectional study.Human reproduction (Oxford, England) · 2017Article
- The Disappearing Sperms: Analysis of Reports Published Between 1980 and 2015.American journal of men's health · 2017Review
- Urinary metabolomic profiling in rats exposed to dietary di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) using ultra-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC/Q-TOF-MS).Environmental science and pollution research international · 2017Article
- Paired Serum and Urine Concentrations of Biomarkers of Diethyl Phthalate, Methyl Paraben, and Triclosan in Rats.Environmental health perspectives · 2016Article
- Urinary phthalate metabolite concentrations in relation to history of infertility and use of assisted reproductive technology.Fertility and sterility · 2015Article
10 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Phthalates are industrial chemicals widely used in many commercial applications. The general population is exposed to phthalates through consumer products as well as through diet and medical treatments. To determine whether environmental levels of phthalates are associated with altered DNA integrity in human sperm, we selected a population without identified sources of exposure to phthalates. One hundred sixty-eight subjects recruited from the Massachusetts General Hospital Andrology Laboratory provided a semen and a urine sample. Eight phthalate metabolites were measured in urine by using high-performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry; data were corrected for urine dilution by adjusting for specific gravity. The neutral single-cell microgel electrophoresis assay (comet assay) was used to measure DNA integrity in sperm. VisComet image analysis software was used to measure comet extent, a measure of total comet length (micrometers); percent DNA in tail (tail%), a measure of the proportion of total DNA present in the comet tail; and tail distributed moment (TDM), an integrated measure of length and intensity (micrometers). For an interquartile range increase in specific gravity-adjusted monoethyl phthalate (MEP) level, the comet extent increased significantly by 3.6 micro m [95% confidence interval (95% CI), 0.74-6.47]; the TDM also increased 1.2 micro m (95% CI, -0.05 to 2.38) but was of borderline significance. Monobutyl, monobenzyl, monomethyl, and mono-2-ethylhexyl phthalates were not significantly associated with comet assay parameters. In conclusion, this study represents the first human data to demonstrate that urinary MEP, at environmental levels, is associated with increased DNA damage in sperm.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.