Maternal plasma perfluoroalkyl substances concentrations in early pregnancy and cardiovascular development in offspring: A prospective cohort study

The association between endocrine disrupting chemicals and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the leading causes of chronic liver disease worldwide. Epidemiological studies have reported that exposure of the population to environmental endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) is associated with NAFLD. However, EDCs are of different types, and there are inconsistencies in the relevant evidence and descriptions, which have not been systematically summarized so far. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the association between population exposure to EDCs and NAFLD. Three databases, including PubMed, Web of science, and Embase were searched, and 27 articles were included in this study. Methodological quality, heterogeneity, and publication bias of the included studies were assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale, I2 statistics, Begg's test, and Egger's test. The estimated effect sizes of the included studies were pooled and evaluated using the random-effects model (I2 > 50 %) and the fixed-effects model ( I2 < 50 %). The pooled-estimate effect sizes showed that population exposure to Phthalates (PAEs) (OR = 1.18, 95 % CI:1.03-1.34), cadmium (Cd) (OR = 1.37, 95 % CI:1.09-1.72), and bisphenol A (OR = 1.43, 95 % CI:1.24-1.65) were positively correlated with the risk of NAFLD. Exposure to mercury (OR =1.46, 95 % CI:1.17-1.84) and Cd increased the risk of "elevated alanine aminotransferase". On the contrary, no significant association was identified between perfluoroalkyl substances (OR =0.99, 95 % CI:0.93-1.06) and NAFLD. However, female exposure to perfluorooctanoic acid (OR =1.82, 95 % CI:1.01-3.26) led to a higher risk of NAFLD than male exposure. In conclusion, this study revealed that EDCs were risk factors for NAFLD. Nonetheless, the sensitivity analysis results of some of the meta-analyses were not stable and demonstrated high heterogeneity. The evidence for these associations is limited, and more large-scale population-based studies are required to confirm these findings.

Exploring the impact of prenatal perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances exposure on blood pressure in early childhood: A longitudinal analysis

Previous research investigating the correlation between prenatal exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and subsequent blood pressure (BP) in offspring has yielded limited and contradictory findings. This study was conducted to investigate the potential relationship between maternal PFAS levels during pregnancy and subsequent BP in early childhood. A total of 129 expectant mothers from the Shanghai Birth Cohort were included in the study. Using high-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry, we measured ten PFAS compounds in maternal plasma throughout the pregnancy. When the children reached the age of 4, we examined their systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP), along with mean arterial pressure (MAP) and pulse pressure (PP). Data interpretation employed multiple linear and logistic regression models, complemented by Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR).We found that the majority of PFAS concentrations remained stable during pregnancy. The linear and BKMR models indicated a positive relationship between the PFAS mixture in maternal plasma and offspring's DBP and MAP, with perfluorohexanesulphonic acid (PFHxS) having the most significant influence (PFHxS and DBP [first trimester:β=3.03, 95%CI: (1.01,5.05); second trimester: β=2.35, 95%CI: (0.94,3.75); third trimester: β=2.57, 95%CI:(0.80,4.34)]; MAP [first trimester:β=2.55, 95%CI: (0.64,4.45); second trimester: β=2.28, 95%CI: (0.95,3.61); third trimester: β=2.35, 95%CI:(0.68,4.01)]). Logistic regression highlighted an increased risk of prehypertension and hypertension in offspring with higher maternal PFHxS concentrations during all three trimesters [first trimester: OR=2.53, 95%CI:(1.11,5.79), second trimester: OR=2.05, 95%CI:(1.11,3.78), third trimester: OR=3.08, 95%CI:(1.40,6.79)]. A positive correlation was identified between the half-lives of PFAS and the odds ratio (OR) of prehypertension and hypertension in childhood (β=0.139, P=0.010). In conclusion, this research found maternal plasma PFAS concentrations to be positively associated with BP in offspring, with PFHxS showing the most significant influence. This correlation remained consistent throughout pregnancy, and this effect was proportional to the half-lives of PFAS.

Profiles and transplacental transfer of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in maternal and umbilical cord blood: A birth cohort study in Zhoushan, Zhejiang Province, China

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) can pass through the placental barrier and pose health risks to fetuses. However, exposure and transplacental transfer patterns of emerging PFAS remain unclear. Here, 24 PFAS were measured in paired maternal whole blood (n = 228), umbilical cord whole blood (n = 119) and serum (n = 120). Orthogonal partial least-squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) was used to differentiate PFAS between different matrices. The transplacental transfer (TPT) of PFAS was calculated using cord to maternal whole blood concentration ratios. PFOS and PFOA were still the dominant PFAS in maternal samples. The emerging PFAS had higher TPT than PFOS and PFOA. Moreover, PFAS with the same chain length but different functional groups and C-F bonds showed different TPT, such as PFOS and PFOSA (C8, median: 0.090 vs. 0.305, p < 0.05) and PFHxS and 4:2 FTS (C6, median: 0.220 vs. 1.190, p < 0.05). A significant sex difference in 4:2 FTS (median: boys 1.250, girls 1.010, p < 0.05) were found. Furthermore, we observed a significant U-shaped trend for the TPT of carboxylates with increasing carbon chain length. PFAS showed a compound-specific transfer through placental barrier and a compound-specific distribution between different matrices in this study.

Perfluoroalkyl substances in umbilical cord blood and blood pressure in offspring: a prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

Humans are widely exposed to perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which have been found to be associated with various adverse birth outcomes. As blood pressure (BP) is an important parameter reflecting cardiovascular health in early life, it is necessary to investigate the association of PFAS exposure during early lifetime and BP in childhood. Therefore, we investigated the potential association between PFAS levels in umbilical cord blood and BP of the offspring at 4 years of age in a prospective cohort study.

METHODS

PFAS in umbilical cord blood samples after birth were measured with high-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry in the Shanghai Birth Cohort. BP was measured at 4 years of age in the offspring. Multiple linear regression model was used to investigate the association between individual PFAS level and BP of the offspring. Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) was used to analyze the relationship between the PFAS mixture and BP of the offspring, while weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression was utilized for sensitivity analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 129 mother-child pairs were included in our analysis. In multiple linear regressions, we observed that long-chain PFAS, mainly including perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA) and perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUA), was negatively associated with systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and mean arterial blood pressure (MAP). BKMR showed that an increase in umbilical cord blood PFAS mixture levels was significantly associated with a decrease in SBP, DBP and MAP [Estimated differences (SD): -0.433 (0.161); -0.437 (0.176); -0.382 (0.179), respectively]. The most important component in the association with SBP, DBP, and MAP was PFUA. PFDoA was found to be positively associated with SBP, DBP and MAP in both models. Sensitivity analysis with WQS regression showed consistent results.

CONCLUSION

Our findings suggested that umbilical blood PFAS exposure was negatively associated with BP in offspring at 4 years of age, including SBP, DBP, and MAP.