Repeated measurements of urinary bisphenol A and its analogues in relation to sperm DNA damage

Bisphenol A (BPA), a common endocrine disrupting chemical (EDC), has shown detrimental effects on sperm quality and function in experimental models. However, epidemiological evidence is inconsistent and also there exists a notable lack of data on its analogues, such as bisphenol F (BPF) and bisphenol S (BPS). To investigate the relationships between BPA, BPF and BPS exposures and sperm DNA damage, we conducted a cross-sectional study recruiting 474 Chinese men from an infertility clinic in Wuhan, China. We repeated measurements of urinary BPA, BPF and BPS concentrations to enhance the exposure assessments and evaluated sperm DNA damage using three comet assay indicators: tail length (TL), tail distributed moment (TDM) and percentages of tail DNA (Tail%). We observed positive associations of BPA exposure with TL and TDM (both P for trends < 0.05) and an association of elevated BPF exposure with increased Tail% (P for trend = 0.066). Furthermore, BPA exposure in relation to increased TL and TDM were more pronounced in men with body mass index (BMI) below 24 kg/m² and non-smokers (all P for interactions < 0.05). Our findings strengthened human evidence that BPA and its analogue BPF exposures were in relation to increased sperm DNA damage.