Plasma 17-alpha-OH-progesterone in male workers exposed to traffic pollutants

The aim of the study is to evaluate if the occupational exposure to urban pollutants could cause alterations on 17-alfa-hydroxy-progesterone plasma levels and related diseases in male traffic policemen. 17-alpha-OH-P is synthesized in Leydig cells and in adrenals; it influences spermiogenesis, acrosoma reaction, testosterone biosynthesis, blocking of gonadotropin secretion; it regulates learning, memory and sleep. After excluding principal confounding factors, i.e., rotating or night shifts, exposure to solvents, paints and pesticides during time-off and smoking, traffic policemen were matched with controls by age, working life and drinking habit. Finally, 112 traffic policemen and 112 controls were included in the study. In traffic policemen 17-alpha-OH-P mean values were significantly higher vs. controls. The distribution of 17-alpha-OH-P values in both groups was significant. An increased frequency of fertility disorders referred to the questionnaire items were found in traffic policemen vs. controls, but the difference was not significant. The occupational exposure to low doses of chemical urban stressor, interacting with and adding to the psychosocial ones, could alter plasma 17-alpha-OH-P concentrations in traffic policemen vs. controls. 17-alpha-OH-P could be used as an early biological marker, even before the onset of the reproductive and mental health diseases.