Phthalate metabolites: Characterization, toxicities, global distribution, and exposure assessment.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review of pharmacokinetic, mechanistic, and biomonitoring literature without systematic review methodology.
PubMed 34520948 · doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2021.118106
What was done
The authors reviewed published literature on phthalate metabolites (mPAEs) to characterize their pharmacokinetics in animal and human models, evaluate molecular and cellular mechanisms of toxicity, summarize global human biomonitoring levels across multiple biological matrices (urine, blood, seminal fluid, breast milk, and amniotic fluid), and evaluate exposure assessment models.
What was found
Urine was identified as the preferred biological matrix for biomonitoring. Among 10 urinary mPAEs examined across regions, the largest proportions were di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) metabolites in Asia (40%), monoethyl phthalate (mEP) in America (43%), and an equal proportion of DEHP metabolites and mEP in Europe (29% each). Mono-5-carboxy-2-ethylpentyl phthalate was the most abundant DEHP metabolite. Toxic mechanisms showed subtle differences between mPAEs and parent phthalates due to chemical structure alterations.
Why it matters
Measuring urinary metabolites rather than parent compounds provides a more reliable metric for human exposure assessment and daily intake calculations, revealing distinct geographical exposure patterns across Asia, America, and Europe.
Limits
The abstract does not state the number of studies reviewed, the search strategy, or date ranges. Toxicological and pharmacokinetic conclusions rely partly on animal models, and precise daily intake calculations remain constrained by uncertainty in population-specific urinary excretion fractions (F_UE).
Cited by
- supports Phthalates are water-soluble compounds whose metabolites are excreted and measurable in human urine.