Heavy metal ion concentration in the amniotic fluid of preterm and term pregnancies from two cities with different industrial output

Radu Ionut Neamtu; Marius Craina; George Dahma; Alin Viorel Popescu; Adelina Geanina Erimescu; Ioana Citu; Amadeus Dobrescu; Florin George Horhat; Dan Dumitru Vulcanescu; Florin Gorun; Elena Silvia Bernad; Andrei Motoc; Ioan Cosmin Citu

doi:10.3892/etm.2021.11034

Heavy metal ion concentration in the amniotic fluid of preterm and term pregnancies from two cities with different industrial output

Exp Ther Med. 2022 Feb;23(2):111. doi: 10.3892/etm.2021.11034. Epub 2021 Dec 3.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Obstetrics-Gynecology and Neonatology, 'Victor Babes' University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania.
² Department of Internal Medicine I, 'Victor Babes' University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania.
³ Department of Surgery, 'Victor Babes' University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania.
⁴ Multidisciplinary Research Center on Antimicrobial Resistance (Multi-Rez), Microbiology Department, 'Victor Babes' University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania.
⁵ Clinical Laboratory, 'Louis Turcanu' Emergency Hospital for Children, 300011 Timisoara, Romania.
⁶ Department of Anatomy and Embryology, 'Victor Babes' University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania.

Abstract

The growth and development of the fetus is a complex phenomenon that can be influenced by several variables. High quantities of heavy metal ions in the amniotic fluid have been linked to poor health, especially in industrial, polluted and poor areas. The aim of the present study was to assess the differences in the concentration of these ions between preterm (weeks 15-37) and term pregnancies (starting at week 37). Another objective was to compare pregnancies from two cities with different industry levels. Two sample lots from two Romanian cities were analyzed. A total of 100 patients from Timisoara were compared with 60 from Petrosani, a heavy industry city in Romania. Demographic data were collected, and amniocentesis was performed on all women. Lead (Pb), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), cadmium (Cd), arsenic (As), iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) concentrations were assessed. Descriptive and analytical statistics were performed using the Mann-Whitney U test for non-parametric data and the Fisher's exact test for categorical data. In addition, categorical data was represented graphically. In the Timisoara cohort, the differences in heavy metal concentrations between preterm and term pregnancies were not statistically significant. In the Petrosani cohort, however, the concentrations of Zn (P=0.02606) and Cd (P=0.01512) were higher in preterm than in term pregnancies. When comparing the two cohorts as a whole, the concentration of Pb (P=0.04513), Cd (P=0.00002), As (P=0.03027) and Zn (P<0.00001) were higher in the patients from Petrosani than in those from Timisoara. Only Cu concentrations were higher in the Timisoara cohort (P<0.00001). The concentrations of Ni (P=0.78150) and Fe (P=0.44540) did not differ statistically. Thus, amniocentesis is an important diagnostic and exploratory tool in determining differences in the concentrations of elements such as heavy metal ions. Research over a longer period of time should be carried out to examine the relation between heavy metal ions concentration and possible postnatal health outcomes.

Keywords: amniocentesis; amniotic fluid; heavy industry; heavy metals; ions; pregnancy; preterm; term.

Grants and funding

Funding: No funding was received.