Positive Association Between Serum Concentration of 4-Tertiary-octylphenol and Oxidation of DNA and Lipid in Adolescents and Young Adults

4-Tertiary-octylphenol (4-t-OP), a frequently utilized alkylphenol, is extensively utilized in a wide range of consumer goods. While experimental research has demonstrated that 4-t-OP exposure leads to increased oxidative stress, it remains unclear if this also occurs in human beings. To investigate this issue, we enrolled 886 Taiwanese adolescents and young adults (aged 12–30 years) and examined the associations among serum 4-t-OP levels, urine oxidized nucleoside 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) (a biomarker of DNA damage), and 8-iso prostaglandin F2α (8-isoPGF2α) (a biomarker of lipid peroxidation). In linear regression analyses, a 1-unit increase in natural log serum 4-t-OP levels was positively associated with urine levels of the 8-OHdG and 8-isoPGF2α (β= 0.083, SE= 0.037, P= 0.025, and β= 0.418, SE= 0.068, P< 0.001) after controlling for covariates. Furthermore, we observed an interaction between age and 4-t-OP, as well as between low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and 4-t-OP, in the association between 4-t-OP and 8-isoPGF2α. In conclusion, our study showed that serum concentrations of 4-t-OP exhibit positive connections with biomarkers of oxidative stress on DNA and lipids. Additional investigation is crucial to determine the presence of a causal link between 4-t-OP exposure and oxidative stress in human subjects.