Prenatal air pollution exposure is associated with inflammatory, cardiovascular, and metabolic biomarkers in mothers and newborns

Nan Ji; Sandrah P Eckel; Helen Foley; Tingyu Yang; Fred Lurmann; Brendan H Grubbs; Rima Habre; Theresa M Bastain; Shohreh F Farzan; Carrie V Breton

doi:10.1016/j.envres.2024.118797

Prenatal air pollution exposure is associated with inflammatory, cardiovascular, and metabolic biomarkers in mothers and newborns

Environ Res. 2024 Mar 28;252(Pt 1):118797. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.118797. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90089, United States.
² Sonoma Technology Inc., Petaluma, CA, 94954, United States.
³ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90089, United States.
⁴ Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90089, United States. Electronic address: breton@usc.edu.

PMID: 38555084
DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.118797

Abstract

Background: Prenatal air pollution exposure has been associated with individual inflammatory, cardiovascular, and metabolic biomarkers in mothers and neonates. However, studies of air pollution and a comprehensive panel of biomarkers across maternal and cord blood samples remain limited. Few studies used data-driven methods to identify biomarker groupings that converge biomarkers from multiple biological pathways. This study aims to investigate the impacts of prenatal air pollution on groups of biomarkers in maternal and cord blood samples.

Methods: In the Maternal And Developmental Risks from Environmental and Social Stressors (MADRES) cohort, 87 biomarkers were quantified from 45 trimester 1 maternal blood and 55 cord blood samples. Pregnancy and trimester 1-averaged concentrations of particulate matter ≤2.5 μm and ≤10 μm in diameter (PM_2.5 and PM₁₀), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), and ozone (O₃) were estimated, using inverse distance squared weighted spatial interpolation from regulatory air monitoring stations. Traffic-related NO_x was assessed using California Line Source Dispersion Model: freeway/highway roads, non-freeway major roads, non-freeway minor roads, and their sum as total NOx. Elastic Net (EN) regression within the rexposome R package was used to group biomarkers and assess their associations with air pollution.

Results: In maternal samples, trimester 1-averaged PM₁₀ was associated with elevated inflammation biomarkers and lowered cardiovascular biomarkers. NO₂ exhibited positive associations with cardiovascular and inflammation markers. O₃ was inversely associated with inflammation, metabolic, and cardiovascular biomarkers. In cord blood, pregnancy-averaged PM_2.5 was associated with higher cardiovascular biomarkers and lower metabolic biomarkers. PM₁₀ was associated with lower inflammation and higher cardiovascular biomarkers. Total and major road NOx was associated with lower cardiovascular biomarkers.

Conclusion: Prenatal air pollution exposure was associated with changes in biomarkers related to inflammation, cardiovascular, metabolic, cancer, and neurological function in both mothers and neonates. This study shed light on mechanisms by which air pollution can influence biological function during pregnancy.

Keywords: Air pollution; Apolipoprotein A-II; C3; CA 19-9; FactorVII; IgM; Interleukin-16; Matrix Metalloproteinase-9; Myoglobin; NO(2); PM; Traffic-related NOx.

Abstract

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