Gender differences in the levels of bisphenol A metabolites in urine

The metabolism of bisphenol A (BPA), a suspected endocrine disruptor, should be considered for monitoring human exposure to BPA, because the conjugation with beta-D-glucuronide and sulfate reduces the estrogenic activity. In this study, BPA levels in 30 healthy Koreans (men, N = 15, 42.6 +/- 2.4 years; women, N = 15, 43.0 +/- 2.7 years) were analyzed from urine treated with/without beta-glucuronidase and/or sulfatase by an RP-HPLC with fluorescence detection. The total BPA concentrations including free BPA and the urinary conjugates were similar in men and women (2.82 +/- 0.73 and 2.76 +/- 0.54 ng ml(-1), respectively), but gender differences were found in the levels of urinary BPA conjugates. Men had significantly higher levels of BPA-glucuronide (2.34 +/- 0.85 ng ml-1) than women (1.00 +/- 0.34 ng ml(-1)), whereas women had higher levels of BPA-sulfate (1.20 +/- 0.32 ng ml(-1)) than men (0.49 +/- 0.27 ng ml(-1)). (C) 2003 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.