Smoking during pregnancy presents health risks for both the mother and her child. In this study we followed changes in the production of steroid hormones in pregnant smokers. We focused on changes in steroidogenesis in the blood of mothers in their 37th week of pregnancy and in mixed cord blood from their newborns. The study included 88 healthy women with physiological pregnancies (17 active smokers and 71 nonsmokers). We separately analyzed hormonal changes associated with smoking according to the sex of newborns. In women with male fetuses, we found higher levels of serum cortisone, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), 7α-OH-DHEA, 17-OH pregnenolone, testosterone, and androstenedione in smokers at the 37th week compared to non-smokers. In women with female fetuses, we found lower serum levels of 7β-OH-DHEA and higher androstenedione in smokers at the 37th week. We found significantly higher levels of testosterone in newborn males of smokers and higher levels of 7α-OH-DHEA in female newborns of smokers. Smoking during pregnancy induces changes in the production of steroids in both the mother and her child. These changes are different for different fetal sexes, with more pronounced changes in mothers carrying male newborns as well as in the newborn males themselves., K. Adamcová, L. Kolátorová, T. Chlupáčová, M. Šimková, H. Jandíková, A. Pařízek, L. Stárka, M. Dušková., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Endocrine disruptors (EDs) are known to have harmful effects on the human endocrine system; special effort is actually given to the exposure during pregnancy. Humans are usually exposed to a mixture of EDs, which may potentiate or antagonize each other, and the combined effect may be difficult to estimate. The main phthalate monoesters monoethyl-, mono-n -butyl-, monoisobutyl-, monobenzyl-, mono-(2-ethylhexyl)-, mono-(2- ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl)- and mono-(2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl) phthalate were determined in 18 maternal (37th week of pregnancy) and cord plasma samples using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Previously determined levels of selected bisphenols, parabens and steroids were also considered in this study. In cord blood, there were significantly higher mono-n-butyl phthalate levels than in maternal blood (p=0.043). The results of multiple regression models showed that maternal plasma phthalates were negatively associated with cord plasma androstenedione, testosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone and positively associated with estradiol and estriol. For estriol, a cumulative association was also observed for Σbisphenols. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first pilot study evaluating the effect of prenatal exposure by multiple EDs on newborn steroidogenesis. Our results confirmed phthalate accumulation in the fetal area and disruption of fetal steroidogenesis. This preliminary study highlights the negative impacts of in utero EDs exposure on fetal steroidogenesis., L. Kolatorova, J. Vitku, A. Vavrous, R. Hampl, K. Adamcova, M. Simkova, A. Parizek, L. Starka, M. Duskova., and Obsahuje bibliografii
In modern societies, living organisms are exposed daily to multiform pollution from industrial chemical products. Some of these substances have been shown to affect the endocrine system, and have been termed endocrine disruptors (EDs). Bisphenol A (BPA), which can leach from plastics, and parabens, used in cosmetic products, are among the most well-studied. Prenatal development is a vulnerable phase of human life, and disruptions during this period may have lifelong consequences. Since EDs are known to cross the placental barrier and BPA may accumulate in the fetus, "BPA-free" products have been introduced to the market. However, such products often contain alternative bisphenols (e.g. BPS, BPF) that have not yet been extensively examined or regulated. Moreover, alternative bisphenols often occur together with BPA. The human organism is thus exposed to a mixture of EDs, some of which can have additive or synergic effects. Recent findings have also shown that paraben exposure can alter bisphenol pharmacokinetics. Taking into account the widespread occurrence of various EDs and the potential multiplicity of their effects, doses of EDs currently considered safe may not actually be as safe as they appear, especially during pregnancy., L. Kolatorova, M. Duskova, J. Vitku, L. Starka., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) is a disorder of liver function, commonly occurring in the third trimester but sometimes also as soon as the end of the second trimester of pregnancy. Symptoms of this disorder include pruritus, plus abnormal values of bile acids and hepatic transaminases. After birth, symptoms disappear and liver function returns to normal. Though ICP is relatively non-complicated and often symptomatically mild from the point-of-view of the mother, it presents a serious risk to the fetus, making this disease the subject of great interest. The etiology and pathogenesis of ICP is multifactorial and as yet not fully elucidated. Hormonal factors likely play a significant role, along with genetic as well as exogenous factors. Here we summarize the knowledge of changes in steroid hormones and their role in the development of intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy. In addition, we consider the role of exogenous factors as possible triggers of steroid hormone changes, the relationship between metabolic steroids and bile acids, as well as the combination of these factors in the development of ICP in predisposed pregnant women., A. Pařízek, M. Dušková, L. Vítek, M. Šrámková, M. Hill, K. Adamcová, P. Šimják, A. Černý, Z. Kordová, H. Vráblíková, B. Boudová, M. Koucký, K. Malíčková, L. Stárka., and Obsahuje bibliografii