Ambient air pollution and inflammation-related proteins during early childhood

Environ Res. 2022 Dec;215(Pt 2):114364. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.114364. Epub 2022 Sep 17.

Abstract

Background and aim: Experimental studies show that short-term exposure to air pollution may alter cytokine concentrations. There is, however, a lack of epidemiological studies evaluating the association between long-term air pollution exposure and inflammation-related proteins in young children. Our objective was to examine whether air pollution exposure is associated with inflammation-related proteins during the first 2 years of life.

Methods: In a pooled analysis of two birth cohorts from Stockholm County (n = 158), plasma levels of 92 systemic inflammation-related proteins were measured by Olink Proseek Multiplex Inflammation panel at 6 months, 1 year and 2 years of age. Time-weighted average exposure to particles with an aerodynamic diameter of <10 μm (PM10), <2.5 μm (PM2.5), and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) at residential addresses from birth and onwards was estimated via validated dispersion models. Stratified by sex, longitudinal cross-referenced mixed effect models were applied to estimate the overall effect of preceding air pollution exposure on combined protein levels, "inflammatory proteome", over the first 2 years of life, followed by cross-sectional protein-specific bootstrapped quantile regression analysis.

Results: We identified significant longitudinal associations of inflammatory proteome during the first 2 years of life with preceding PM2.5 exposure, while consistent associations with PM10 and NO2 across ages were only observed among girls. Subsequent protein-specific analyses revealed significant associations of PM10 exposure with an increase in IFN-gamma and IL-12B in boys, and a decrease in IL-8 in girls at different percentiles of proteins levels, at age 6 months. Several inflammation-related proteins were also significantly associated with preceding PM10, PM2.5 and NO2 exposures, at ages 1 and 2 years, in a sex-specific manner.

Conclusions: Ambient air pollution exposure influences inflammation-related protein levels already during early childhood. Our results also suggest age- and sex-specific differences in the impact of air pollution on children's inflammatory profiles.

Keywords: Air pollution; Children; Inflammation; Particulate matter; Proteins; Proteome.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Air Pollutants* / analysis
  • Air Pollutants* / toxicity
  • Air Pollution* / adverse effects
  • Air Pollution* / analysis
  • Child, Preschool
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Cytokines
  • Environmental Exposure / analysis
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Inflammation / chemically induced
  • Inflammation / epidemiology
  • Interleukin-8 / analysis
  • Male
  • Nitrogen Dioxide / analysis
  • Nitrogen Dioxide / toxicity
  • Particulate Matter / analysis
  • Particulate Matter / toxicity
  • Proteome

Substances

  • Air Pollutants
  • Cytokines
  • Interleukin-8
  • Particulate Matter
  • Proteome
  • Nitrogen Dioxide