ArticleJournal of exposure science & environmental epidemiology2026
Development and application of a sensitive method for urinary biomonitoring of microcystin-LR: association with semen quality in adult men.
Article in Journal of exposure science & environmental epidemiology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
backgroundMicrocystin-LR (MC-LR) is a cyanobacterial toxin that can impair male reproductive function. However, epidemiological investigations of human MC-LR exposure have been limited due to the lack of sensitive and reliable biomonitoring methods.
objectiveThis study aimed to develop and validate a sensitive method for urinary biomonitoring of MC-LR and to investigate the association between urinary MC-LR exposure and semen quality in adult men.
methodsA sensitive analytical method was developed and validated for the determination of MC-LR in human urine. The validated method was subsequently applied in a study of 633 men recruited from a reproductive hospital. Associations between urinary MC-LR concentrations and semen quality parameters were evaluated using multivariable linear regression models adjusted for urine creatinine, age, BMI, alcohol consumption, and smoking status.
resultsThe developed method achieved a limit of detection of 0.001 μg/L, which was lower than those reported in previous studies. MC-LR was detected in 447 of 633 urine samples, with a median concentration of 0.03 μg/L. Higher urinary MC-LR concentrations were associated with decreased semen volume, sperm concentration, and total sperm count, and with increased sperm tail abnormalities (all P SIGNIFICANCE: This study developed and validated a highly sensitive method for quantifying urinary MC-LR and successfully applied it in a large human population study. The findings provide novel epidemiological evidence linking environmental MC-LR exposure with impaired semen quality and support urinary MC-LR as a biomarker for human exposure assessment and reproductive risk evaluation. IMPACT STATEMENT: This study addresses a key challenge in human biomonitoring of MC-LR by developing a highly sensitive urinary analytical method with enhanced detection sensitivity. Application of the method in a large population of adult men revealed widespread exposure to MC-LR and significant associations between urinary MC-LR concentrations and reduced semen quality. The study advances exposure assessment of cyanobacterial toxins and provides epidemiological evidence supporting concerns about the reproductive health impacts of environmental MC-LR exposure.
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