| Abstract: | Background and Aims:Exposure to consumer chemicals has been associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD) among humans, but their associations with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) are inconsistent. We aimed to assess the relationship between paraben exposure and renal function including the serum level of blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and the urinary levels of microalbumin, albumin, protein, and creatinine from a population-based study. Method: We enrolled 310 participants (≥18 y, N = 240; <18 y, N = 70) who provided questionnaire information as well as blood and urine samples from a nationally representative study. Urinary parabens including methylparaben (MeP), ethylparaben (EtP), propylparaben (PrP), and butylparaben (BuP) are measured by liquid chromatography/ tandem mass spectrometry. From the renal function index, we measured the serum level of blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and the urinary levels of microalbumin, albumin, protein, and creatinine. We used multiple logistic regressions to evaluate the relationship between paraben exposure and renal function in our participants. Results: Median levels of urinary MeP, EtP, PrP and BuP in adults were 399 [interquartile range (IQR) = 257–611], 38.3 (IQR = 25.9–62.2), 115 (IQR = 74.6–160) and 6.60 (IQR = 4.42–9.42) ng/mL, respectively, which were significantly lower than those in children/adolescents [MeP: 186 (IQR = 6.92–453); EtP: 13.0 (IQR = 0.05–38.1); 60.3 (IQR = 0.62–101); 2.65 (IQR = 0.73–7.84) ng/mL] (all P<0.001). Multivariate regression models adjusted for the same confounding factors confirmed the association of BUN and eGFR with urinary EtP (β: 0.137; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.003 to 0.272; β: -0.101; 95% CI = -0.202 to -0.001), which means BUN increased by 0.137 × 10−2 mg/dL, and eGFR decreased by 0.101 × 10−2 mL/min/1.73 m2 with a 1% increase in urinary EtP level, respectively. The multiple logistic regression showed that the adjusted odds ratio of the higher EtP and PrP level (median) in participants ≥18 y for lower eGFR (eGFR <90 mL/min/1.73 m2) was 1.86 and 1.87 times (95% CI = 1.03–3.34 and 1.04–3.37) than the lower group, respectively. Conclusion: Our findings suggested that daily exposure to EtP were significantly positively associated with an increased risk of higher BUN and lower eGFR in Taiwanese ≥18 y. Comprehensive or mechanistic studies are required to elucidate these associations. |
