Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30826665›Full record

ArticleEnvironmental research2019

High phthalate exposure increased urinary concentrations of quinolinic acid, implicated in the pathogenesis of neurological disorders: Is this a potential missing link?

Feiby L Nassan, Joshua A Gunn, Melissa M Hill, Brent A Coull, Russ Hauser

Open access · greenAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Environmental research, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
0.6field-weighted citation impact, top 40% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 19 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Phthalates Induced Neurotoxicity: A Mechanistic Approach.Central nervous system agents in medicinal chemistry · 2026
    Review
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Species Differences in Tryptophan Metabolism and Disposition.International journal of tryptophan research : IJTR · 2022
    Review
  7. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Feiby L NassanDepartment of Environmental Health, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Nutrition, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA. Electronic address: fen769@mail.harvard.edu.
Joshua A GunnEthos Research & Development, Newport, KY, USA.
Melissa M HillEthos Research & Development, Newport, KY, USA.
Brent A CoullDepartment of Biostatistics, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
Russ HauserDepartment of Environmental Health, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Epidemiology Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Vincent Obstetrics and Gynecology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Harvard University · USMassachusetts General Hospital · US

Funding

Translational Research Support CoreP30ES000002 · NIEHS · HARVARD UNIVERSITY (SCH OF PUBLIC HLTH) · PI JAIME ELIZABETH HART · 1985 to 2026
$44.6M
Crossover Study on Human Exposure to Phthalates and Male FertilityR01ES017285 · NIEHS · HARVARD SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH · PI HAUSER, RUSS B · 2010 to 2014
$2.4M
NIEHS NIH HHS P30 ES000002NIEHS NIH HHS R01 ES017285
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundQuinolinic acid (QA), a neuroactive metabolite of the Kynurenine Pathway (KP), is an excitotoxin that is implicated in the pathogenesis of many neurological disorders. KP is the main tryptophan degradation pathway. Phthalates can structurally mimic tryptophan metabolites and diets containing phthalates in rats enhanced the production and excretion of QA. However, there are no human studies that have examined the association between phthalates and QA.

objectivesTaking advantage of different mesalamine formulations with/without dibutyl phthalate (DBP), we assessed whether DBP from mesalamine (>1000x background) altered the urinary concentrations of QA.

methodsMen with inflammatory bowel disease participated in a prospective crossover pilot study. 15 Men were on non-DBP mesalamine (background) at baseline crossed-over for 4 months to high-DBP mesalamine (high) (B

resultsAt baseline, men who were on high-DBP mesalamine (H

conclusionsHigh-DBP exposure from mesalamine increased the urinary concentrations of QA, which was largely reversed after removal of the high-DBP exposure for four months. This novel hypothesis should warrant new promising research considering the KP and QA concentrations as a plausible mediator for the neurotoxicity possibly linked with phthalate exposures.

Indexed as

Nervous System DiseasesPhthalic AcidsQuinolinic AcidAnimalsCross-Sectional StudiesHumansMalePilot ProjectsProspective StudiesRatsPhthalic AcidsQuinolinic AcidCrossover studyEndocrine disruptorKynurenine Pathway (KP)MenPhthalateQuinolinic acid (QA)

Identifiers

PMID30826665
PMCPMC6511314
OpenAlexW2917360948

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.