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Siwakoti RC, Park S, Ferguson KK, Hao W, Cantonwine DE, Mukherjee B, McElrath TF, Meeker JD. Prenatal per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and maternal oxidative stress: Evidence from the LIFECODES study. CHEMOSPHERE 2024; 360:142363. [PMID: 38768789 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.142363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2024] [Revised: 05/13/2024] [Accepted: 05/16/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are synthetic chemicals linked to adverse pregnancy outcomes. Although their underlying biological mechanisms are not fully understood, evidence suggests PFAS may disrupt endocrine functions and contribute to oxidative stress (OS) and inflammation. OBJECTIVE We examined associations between early pregnancy PFAS exposure and OS biomarkers, exploring potential effect modifications by fetal sex and maternal race. METHODS We used data from 469 LIFECODES participants with measured plasma PFAS (median 10 weeks gestation) and repeated measures (median 10, 18, 26, and 35 weeks gestation) of urinary OS biomarkers [8-iso-prostaglandin-F2α (8-isoprostane) and 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG)]. Protein damage biomarkers (chlorotyrosine, dityrosine, and nitrotyrosine) were additionally measured in plasma from a subset (N = 167) during the third visit. Associations between each PFAS and OS biomarkers were examined using linear mixed-effects models and multivariable linear regressions, adjusting for potential confounders, including maternal age, race, education level, pre-pregnancy BMI, insurance status, and parity. Effect modifications were evaluated by including an interaction term between each PFAS and fetal sex or maternal race in the models. RESULTS We observed significant positive associations between PFOS and 8-isoprostane, with a 9.68% increase in 8-isoprostane levels (95% CI: 0.10%, 20.18%) per interquartile range increase in PFOS. In contrast, PFUA was negatively associated [9.32% (95% CI: -17.68%, -0.11%)], while there were suggestive positive associations for MPAH and PFOA with 8-isoprostane. The associations of several PFAS with 8-OHdG varied by fetal sex, showing generally positive trends in women who delivered females, but negative or null in those who delivered males. No significant effect modification by maternal race was observed. CONCLUSIONS This study provides evidence linking PFAS exposure to OS during pregnancy, with potential sex-specific effects of certain PFAS on 8-OHdG. Further research should explore additional OS/inflammatory biomarkers and assess the modifying effects of dietary and behavioral patterns across diverse populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ram C Siwakoti
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Seonyoung Park
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Kelly K Ferguson
- Epidemiology Branch, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Wei Hao
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - David E Cantonwine
- Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Bhramar Mukherjee
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Thomas F McElrath
- Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - John D Meeker
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
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Pacyga DC, Papandonatos GD, Rosas L, Whalen J, Smith S, Park JS, Gardiner JC, Braun JM, Schantz SL, Strakovsky RS. Associations of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances with maternal early second trimester sex-steroid hormones. Int J Hyg Environ Health 2024; 259:114380. [PMID: 38657330 PMCID: PMC11127781 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2024.114380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2023] [Revised: 03/30/2024] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND/AIMS Pregnant women are exposed to persistent environmental contaminants, including per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) that disrupt thyroid function. However, it is unclear if PFAS alter maternal sex-steroid hormone levels, which support pregnancy health and fetal development. METHODS In Illinois women with relatively high socioeconomic status (n = 460), we quantified perfluorononanoic (PFNA), perfluorooctane sulfonic (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic (PFOA), methyl-perfluorooctane sulfonamide acetic acid, perfluorohexanesulphonic (PFHxS), perfluorodecanoic (PFDeA), and perfluoroundecanoic (PFUdA) acid concentrations in fasting serum samples at median 17 weeks gestation, along with plasma progesterone, testosterone, and estradiol. We evaluated covariate-adjusted associations of ln-transformed hormones with each ln-transformed PFAS individually using linear regression and with the PFAS mixture using quantile-based g-computation (QGComp). RESULTS Interquartile range (IQR) increases in PFOS were associated with higher progesterone (%Δ 3.0; 95%CI: -0.6, 6.6) and estradiol (%Δ: 8.1; 95%CI: 2.2, 14.4) levels. Additionally, PFHxS was positively associated with testosterone (%Δ: 10.2; 95%CI: 4.0, 16.7), whereas both PFDeA and PFUdA were inversely associated with testosterone (%Δ: -5.7; 95%CI: -10.3, -0.8, and %Δ: -4.1; 95%CI: -7.6, -0.4, respectively). The IQR-standardized PFAS mixture was not associated with progesterone (%Δ: 1.6; 95%CI: -5.8, 9.2), due equal partial positive (%Δ: 9.2; driven by PFOA) and negative (%Δ: -7.4; driven by PFOS) mixture associations. Similarly, the mixture was not associated with testosterone (%Δ: 5.3; 95%CI: -9.0, 20.1), due to similar partial positive (%Δ: 23.6; driven by PFHxS) and negative (%Δ: -17.4; driven by PFDeA) mixture associations. However, we observed a slightly stronger partial positive (%Δ: 25.6; driven by PFOS and PFUdA) than negative (%Δ: -16.3; driven by PFOA) association resulting in an overall non-significant positive trend between the mixture and estradiol (%Δ: 8.5; 95%CI: -3.7, 20.9). CONCLUSION PFAS mixture modeled using QGComp was not associated with maternal sex-steroid hormones due to potential opposing effects of certain PFAS. Additional prospective studies could corroborate these findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana C Pacyga
- Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA; Institute for Integrative Toxicology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA; Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | | | - Libeth Rosas
- The Beckman Institute, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL 61801, USA
| | - Jason Whalen
- Michigan Diabetes Research Center Chemistry Laboratory, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Sabrina Smith
- Environmental Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Toxic Substances Control, California Environmental Protection Agency, Berkeley, CA 94710, USA
| | - June-Soo Park
- Environmental Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Toxic Substances Control, California Environmental Protection Agency, Berkeley, CA 94710, USA; Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Joseph C Gardiner
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Joseph M Braun
- Department of Epidemiology, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
| | - Susan L Schantz
- The Beckman Institute, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL 61801, USA; Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL 61802, USA
| | - Rita S Strakovsky
- Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA; Institute for Integrative Toxicology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
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Shi T, Li D, Li D, Sun J, Xie P, Wang T, Li R, Li Z, Zou Z, Ren X. Individual and joint associations of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) with gallstone disease in adults: A cross-sectional study. CHEMOSPHERE 2024; 358:142168. [PMID: 38685323 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.142168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2024] [Revised: 03/28/2024] [Accepted: 04/26/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
Disturbances in the enterohepatic circulation are important biological mechanisms for causing gallstones and also have important effects on the metabolism of Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Moreover, PFAS is associated with sex hormone disorder which is another important cause of gallstones. However, it remains unclear whether PFAS is associated with gallstones. In this study, we used logistic regression, restricted cubic spline (RCS), quantile g-computation (qg-comp), Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR), and subgroup analysis to assess the individual and joint associations of PFAS with gallstones and effect modifiers. We observed that the individual associations of perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDeA) (OR: 0.600, 95% CI: 0.444 to 0.811), perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUA) (OR: 0.630, 95% CI: 0.453 to 0.877), n-perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (n-PFOS) (OR: 0.719, 95% CI: 0.571 to 0.906), and perfluoromethylheptane sulfonic acid isomers (Sm-PFOS) (OR: 0.768, 95% CI: 0.602 to 0.981) with gallstones were linearly negative. Qg-comp showed that the PFAS mixture (OR: 0.777, 95% CI: 0.514 to 1.175) was negatively associated with gallstones, but the difference was not statistically significant, and PFDeA had the highest negative association. Moreover, smoking modified the association of perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) with gallstones. BKMR showed that PFDeA, PFNA, and PFUA had the highest groupPIP (groupPIP = 0.93); PFDeA (condPIP = 0.82), n-perfluorooctanoic acid (n-PFOA) (condPIP = 0.68), and n-PFOS (condPIP = 0.56) also had high condPIPs. Compared with the median level, the joint association of the PFAS mixture with gallstones showed a negative trend; when the PFAS mixture level was at the 70th percentile or higher, they were negatively associated with gallstones. Meanwhile, when other PFAS were fixed at the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles, PFDeA had negative associations with gallstones. Our evidence emphasizes that PFAS is negatively associated with gallstones, and more studies are needed in the future to definite the associations of PFAS with gallstones and explore the underlying biological mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianshan Shi
- Institute of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Di Li
- Institute of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Donghua Li
- Institute of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Jin Sun
- Department of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Peng Xie
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Tingrong Wang
- Institute of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Rui Li
- Institute of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Zhenjuan Li
- Institute of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Zixuan Zou
- Institute of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Xiaowei Ren
- Institute of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China; Institute for Health Statistics and Intelligent Analysis, School of Public Health, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China.
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Güil-Oumrait N, Stratakis N, Maitre L, Anguita-Ruiz A, Urquiza J, Fabbri L, Basagaña X, Heude B, Haug LS, Sakhi AK, Iszatt N, Keun HC, Wright J, Chatzi L, Vafeiadi M, Bustamante M, Grazuleviciene R, Andrušaitytė S, Slama R, McEachan R, Casas M, Vrijheid M. Prenatal Exposure to Chemical Mixtures and Metabolic Syndrome Risk in Children. JAMA Netw Open 2024; 7:e2412040. [PMID: 38780942 PMCID: PMC11117089 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.12040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Importance Prenatal exposure to ubiquitous endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) may increase the risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in children, but few studies have studied chemical mixtures or explored underlying protein and metabolic signatures. Objective To investigate associations of prenatal exposure to EDC mixtures with MetS risk score in children and identify associated proteins and metabolites. Design, Setting, and Participants This population-based, birth cohort study used data collected between April 1, 2003, and February 26, 2016, from the Human Early Life Exposome cohort based in France, Greece, Lithuania, Norway, Spain, and the UK. Eligible participants included mother-child pairs with measured prenatal EDC exposures and complete data on childhood MetS risk factors, proteins, and metabolites. Data were analyzed between October 2022 and July 2023. Exposures Nine metals, 3 organochlorine pesticides, 5 polychlorinated biphenyls, 2 polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), 5 perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), 10 phthalate metabolites, 3 phenols, 4 parabens, and 4 organophosphate pesticide metabolites measured in urine and blood samples collected during pregnancy. Main Outcomes and Measures At 6 to 11 years of age, a composite MetS risk score was constructed using z scores of waist circumference, systolic and diastolic blood pressures, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and insulin levels. Childhood levels of 44 urinary metabolites, 177 serum metabolites, and 35 plasma proteins were quantified using targeted methods. Associations were assessed using bayesian weighted quantile sum regressions applied to mixtures for each chemical group. Results The study included 1134 mothers (mean [SD] age at birth, 30.7 [4.9] years) and their children (mean [SD] age, 7.8 [1.5] years; 617 male children [54.4%] and 517 female children [45.6%]; mean [SD] MetS risk score, -0.1 [2.3]). MetS score increased per 1-quartile increase of the mixture for metals (β = 0.44; 95% credible interval [CrI], 0.30 to 0.59), organochlorine pesticides (β = 0.22; 95% CrI, 0.15 to 0.29), PBDEs (β = 0.17; 95% CrI, 0.06 to 0.27), and PFAS (β = 0.19; 95% CrI, 0.14 to 0.24). High-molecular weight phthalate mixtures (β = -0.07; 95% CrI, -0.10 to -0.04) and low-molecular weight phthalate mixtures (β = -0.13; 95% CrI, -0.18 to -0.08) were associated with a decreased MetS score. Most EDC mixtures were associated with elevated proinflammatory proteins, amino acids, and altered glycerophospholipids, which in turn were associated with increased MetS score. Conclusions and Relevance This cohort study suggests that prenatal exposure to EDC mixtures may be associated with adverse metabolic health in children. Given the pervasive nature of EDCs and the increase in MetS, these findings hold substantial public health implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nuria Güil-Oumrait
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Barcelona, Spain
- Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
| | - Nikos Stratakis
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
| | - Léa Maitre
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Barcelona, Spain
- Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
| | - Augusto Anguita-Ruiz
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Barcelona, Spain
- Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
| | - Jose Urquiza
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
| | - Lorenzo Fabbri
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Barcelona, Spain
- Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
| | - Xavier Basagaña
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Barcelona, Spain
- Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
| | - Barbara Heude
- Université Paris Cité and Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM), National Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment (INRAE), Center for Research in Epidemiology and StatisticS (CRESS), Paris, France
| | - Line Småstuen Haug
- Department of Food Safety, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Amrit Kaur Sakhi
- Department of Food Safety, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Nina Iszatt
- Division of Climate and Environmental Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Hector C. Keun
- Cancer Metabolism & Systems Toxicology Group, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, London, United Kingdom
| | - John Wright
- Bradford Institute for Health Research, Bradford Teaching Hospitals National Health Service Foundation Trust, Bradford, United Kingdom
| | - Leda Chatzi
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles
| | - Marina Vafeiadi
- Department of Social Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion, Crete, Greece
| | - Mariona Bustamante
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Barcelona, Spain
- Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Sandra Andrušaitytė
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Vytautas Magnus University, Kaunas, Lithuania
| | - Rémy Slama
- Department of Prevention and Treatment of Chronic Diseases, Institute for Advanced Biosciences (IAB; INSERM U1209, CNRS UMR 5309), Université Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France
| | - Rosemary McEachan
- Bradford Institute for Health Research, Bradford Teaching Hospitals National Health Service Foundation Trust, Bradford, United Kingdom
| | - Maribel Casas
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Barcelona, Spain
- Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
| | - Martine Vrijheid
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Barcelona, Spain
- Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
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Liang HW, Koistinen H, Barrett ES, Xun X, Yin Q, Kannan K, Moog NK, Ng C, O’Connor TG, Miller R, Adibi JJ. Associations of Serum Perfluoroalkyl Substances and Placental Human Chorionic Gonadotropin in Early Pregnancy, Measured in the UPSIDE Study in Rochester, New York. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2024; 132:47008. [PMID: 38625811 PMCID: PMC11020022 DOI: 10.1289/ehp12950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2023] [Revised: 02/23/2024] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/18/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are widely detected in pregnant women and associated with adverse outcomes related to impaired placental function. Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is a dimeric glycoprotein hormone that can indicate placental toxicity. OBJECTIVES Our aim was to quantify the association of serum PFAS with placental hCG, measured as an intact molecule (hCG), as free alpha-(hCG α ) and beta-subunits (hCG β ), and as a hyperglycosylated form (h-hCG), and evaluate effect measure modification by social determinants and by fetal sex. METHODS Data were collected from 326 pregnant women enrolled from 2015 to 2019 in the UPSIDE study in Rochester, New York. hCG forms were normalized for gestational age at the time of blood draw in the first trimester [multiple of the median (MoM)]. Seven PFAS were measured in second-trimester maternal serum. Multivariate imputation by chained equations and inverse probability weighting were used to evaluate robustness of linear associations. PFAS mixture effects were estimated by Bayesian kernel machine regression. RESULTS Perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS) [hCG β : 0.29 log MoM units per log PFHxS; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.08, 0.51] and perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA) (hCG: - 0.09 ; 95% CI: - 0.16 , - 0.02 ) were associated with hCG in the single chemical and mixture analyses. The PFAS mixture was negatively associated with hCG α and positively with hCG β . Subgroup analyses revealed that PFAS associations with hCG differed by maternal race/ethnicity and education. Perfluoropentanoic acid (PFPeA) was associated with hCG β only in Black participants (- 0.23 ; 95% CI: - 0.37 , - 0.09 ) and in participants with high school education or less (- 0.14 ; 95% CI: - 0.26 , - 0.02 ); conversely, perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) was negatively associated with hCG α only in White participants (- 0.15 ; 95% CI: - 0.27 , - 0.03 ) and with hCG β only in participants with a college education or greater (- 0.19 ; 95% CI: - 0.36 , - 0.01 ). These findings were robust to testing for selection bias, confounding bias, and left truncation bias where PFAS detection frequency was < 100 % . Two associations were negative in male (and null in female) pregnancies: Perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnDA) with hCG α , and PFNA with h-hCG. CONCLUSIONS Evidence was strongest for the association between PFHxS and PFDA with hCG in all participants and for PFPeA and PFNA within subgroups defined by social determinants and fetal sex. PFAS mixture associations with hCG α and hCG β differed, suggesting subunit-specific types of toxicity and/or regulation. Future studies will evaluate the biological, clinical and public health significance of these findings. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP12950.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hai-Wei Liang
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Hannu Koistinen
- Department of Clinical Chemistry and Haematology, Helsinki University Hospital, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Emily S. Barrett
- Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Rutgers School of Public Health, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Xiaoshuang Xun
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Qing Yin
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Kurunthachalam Kannan
- Department of Pediatrics, New York University, New York, USA
- Department of Environmental Medicine, New York University, New York, USA
| | - Nora K. Moog
- Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Institute of Medical Psychology, Berlin, Germany
| | - Carla Ng
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Swanson School of Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Thomas G. O’Connor
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Rich Miller
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Jennifer J. Adibi
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
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Chowdhury SF, Prout N, Rivera-Núñez Z, Barrett E, Brunner J, Duberstein Z, Kannan K, Salafia CM, Shah R, Miller RK, O'Connor TG. PFAS alters placental arterial vasculature in term human placentae: A prospective pregnancy cohort study. Placenta 2024; 149:54-63. [PMID: 38518389 PMCID: PMC10997442 DOI: 10.1016/j.placenta.2024.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2023] [Revised: 03/04/2024] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/24/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are synthetic chemicals used in industrial and consumer goods that are widely detected in human populations and are associated with adverse health outcomes, including perinatal health risks and child health. One mechanism of influence may be the impact of PFAS exposure on placental structure and function. OBJECTIVES The objective of this study is to investigate the relationship between maternal prenatal exposure to PFAS and measures of placental vascularization, and to assess whether changes in vascularization play a role in mediating the impact of PFAS on birth outcomes. METHODS Using data from a prospective cohort study, we examined associations between second trimester PFAS (individually and as mixtures using Bayesian kernel machine regression) and placental arterial vasculature in term placentae (N = 158); secondarily we evaluated the degree to which alterations in placental arterial vasculature explained associations between PFAS exposure and birth outcomes. Placental arterial vasculature features were collected from arterial tracings of each placental image. RESULTS In both linear regression and mixture models, natural log-transformed perfluorooctanoic acid concentrations were negatively associated with surface vasculature, indexed by the mean distance from arterial end point to perimeter (β = -0.23, 95% CI: -0.41, -0.041); additionally, maximum arterial tortuosity was negatively associated with placental weight (β = -0.19, 95% CI: -0.34, -0.051). There were no reliable differences in effect by fetal sex. DISCUSSION The findings provide some of the first evidence of PFAS exposure shaping a key measure of placental vascular function, which may underlie the impact of PFAS on perinatal and child health risks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sadia Firoza Chowdhury
- Wynne Center for Family Research, University of Rochester, 601 Elmwood Avenue., Rochester, NY, 14642, USA; Translational Biomedical Sciences Program, University of Rochester, 601 Elmwood Avenue., Rochester, NY, 14642, USA.
| | - Nashae Prout
- Wynne Center for Family Research, University of Rochester, 601 Elmwood Avenue., Rochester, NY, 14642, USA; Toxicology Graduate Program, University of Rochester, 601 Elmwood Avenue., Rochester, NY, 14642, USA.
| | - Zorimar Rivera-Núñez
- Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Rutgers School of Public Health, 683 Hoes Lane West, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA; Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, Rutgers University, 170 Frelinghuysen Rd., Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA.
| | - Emily Barrett
- Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Rutgers School of Public Health, 683 Hoes Lane West, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA; Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, Rutgers University, 170 Frelinghuysen Rd., Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, USA.
| | - Jessica Brunner
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, USA.
| | - Zoe Duberstein
- Wynne Center for Family Research, University of Rochester, 601 Elmwood Avenue., Rochester, NY, 14642, USA; Psychology, University of Rochester, Meliora Hall, P.O. Box 270266, Rochester, NY, 14627, USA.
| | - Kurunthachalam Kannan
- Department of Pediatrics and Department of Environmental Medicine, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, 550 1st Ave., New York, NY, 10016, USA.
| | - Carolyn M Salafia
- Placental Analytics LLC, 187 Overlook Circle, New Rochelle, NY, 10804, USA; Institute for Basic Research, 1550 Forest Hill Road, Staten Island, NY 10314, USA; New York Presbyterian- Brooklyn Methodist Hospital, 550 6th Street, Brooklyn, NY, 11215, USA; Queens Hospital Center, 82-68 164th Street, Queens, New York, 11432, USA.
| | - Ruchit Shah
- Placental Analytics LLC, 187 Overlook Circle, New Rochelle, NY, 10804, USA.
| | - Richard K Miller
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, USA.
| | - Thomas G O'Connor
- Wynne Center for Family Research, University of Rochester, 601 Elmwood Avenue., Rochester, NY, 14642, USA; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, USA; Psychology, University of Rochester, Meliora Hall, P.O. Box 270266, Rochester, NY, 14627, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of Rochester, 300 Crittenden Blvd., Rochester, NY, 14642, USA; Department of Neuroscience, University of Rochester, 601 Elmwood Avenue., Rochester, NY, 14642, USA.
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7
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Liao Q, Huang H, Tang P, Liang J, Chen J, Mu C, Pan D, Lv F, Zhou L, Long J, Chen Q, Zeng X, Liu S, Huang D, Qiu X. Associations of prenatal exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and fetal sex hormones in the Guangxi Zhuang Birth Cohort Study: Greater effect of long-chain PFAS. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 2024; 272:116054. [PMID: 38310819 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2024.116054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2023] [Revised: 01/07/2024] [Accepted: 01/28/2024] [Indexed: 02/06/2024]
Abstract
Fetal sex hormone homeostasis disruption could lead to reproductive and developmental abnormalities. However, previous studies have reported inconsistent findings regarding the association of maternal per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) exposure with fetal sex hormone levels. A total of 277 mother-infant pairs from the Guangxi Zhuang Birth Cohort Study between 2015 and 2019 were selected. We quantified nine PFAS in maternal serum in early pregnancy, and detected three sex hormones, namely, estradiol (E2), progesterone (P4) and testosterone (TT), in cord blood. The generalized linear model (GLM) and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) model were used for single- and multiple-exposure analyses, respectively. In the GLM, there was no significant association between an individual PFAS and any hormone level or the E2/TT ratio, but a negative association between perfluorododecanoic acid (PFDoA) exposure and P4 levels in female infants was observed after stratification by sex. In the BKMR, a mixture of nine PFAS was positively associated with E2 levels and the E2/TT ratio, with the same main contributors, i.e., perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnA). And PFAS mixtures were not associated with P4 or TT levels. After stratification by infant sex, positive associations of PFAS mixtures with E2 levels and the E2/TT ratio were observed only in male infants, with the same main contributors, i.e., PFUnA. There was a positive association between PFAS mixtures and P4 levels in male infants, in which PFUnA was the main contributor; but a reverse association between PFAS mixtures and P4 levels in female infants, in which PFDoA was the main contributor. This study suggested that prenatal exposure to PFAS mixtures is associated with fetal sex hormones, and long-chain PFAS may play an important role in this association. Furthermore, sex differences in the association of maternal PFAS exposure with E2 and P4 levels need additional attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Liao
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, Guangxi, China
| | - Huishen Huang
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, Guangxi, China
| | - Peng Tang
- Department of Maternal and Child Health, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Jun Liang
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, Guangxi, China
| | - Jiehua Chen
- Department of Microbiology, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, Guangxi, China
| | - Changhui Mu
- Department of Sanitary Chemistry, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, Guangxi, China
| | - Dongxiang Pan
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, Guangxi, China
| | - Fangfang Lv
- Department of Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, Guangxi, China
| | - Lihong Zhou
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, Guangxi, China
| | - Jinghua Long
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, Guangxi, China
| | - Qian Chen
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, Guangxi, China
| | - Xiaoyun Zeng
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, Guangxi, China; Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Guilin Medical University, Guilin 541001, Guangxi, China
| | - Shun Liu
- Department of Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, Guangxi, China
| | - Dongping Huang
- Department of Microbiology, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, Guangxi, China
| | - Xiaoqiang Qiu
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, Guangxi, China.
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8
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Li L, Guo Y, Ma S, Wen H, Li Y, Qiao J. Association between exposure to per- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and reproductive hormones in human: A systematic review and meta-analysis. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2024; 241:117553. [PMID: 37931739 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.117553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Revised: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) is persistent endocrine disrupting chemicals. Previous evidence suggests that exposure to PFAS is associated with reproductive hormone levels, but the results of relevant studies are inconsistent. The objective of our study is to determine the association between exposure to PFAS and reproductive hormone levels in gender-specific general population. METHOD Based on scientific search strategies, we systematically searched PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Medline, and Scopus to obtain the eligible studies published before January 21, 2023. The quality of the included articles was assessed using the Office of Health Assessment and Translation (OHAT) Risk of Bias tool. We combined the β coefficient and 95% confidence intervals (CI) using Stata.17 with random-effect model or fixed-effect model. We also performed subgroup analysis, sensitivity analysis, and Begger's and Egger's tests. RESULTS Eleven studies involving 7714 participants were included. Meta-analysis showed that PFHxS exposure was positively associated with estradiol (E2) levels in female [β = 0.030, 95% CI: (0.013, 0.046), P = 0.000]. A negative association was found between PFOA [β = -0.012, 95% CI: (-0.023, -0.002), P = 0.017] and PFOS [β = -0.011; 95% CI: (-0.021, -0.000), P = 0.042] exposure with male testosterone (TT) levels. In the subgroup analysis, there were stronger associations in children than in adults. And the high heterogeneity was mainly due to the cross-sectional studies. Publication bias was not found in most of the analyses. CONCLUSION Our study showed that PFAS exposure was significantly associated with reproductive hormone levels. Further related studies are needed to identify the association and potential mechanism in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ling Li
- School of Nursing, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, 250117, China
| | - Yingkun Guo
- School of Nursing, Weifang Medical University, Weifang, 261053, China
| | - Shuai Ma
- School of Nursing, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, 250117, China
| | - Hui Wen
- School of Nursing, Weifang Medical University, Weifang, 261053, China
| | - Yupei Li
- School of Nursing, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, 250117, China
| | - Jianhong Qiao
- School of Nursing and Rehabilitation, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, China; The First Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, 250014, China.
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9
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Thangaraj SV, Zeng L, Pennathur S, Lea R, Sinclair KD, Bellingham M, Evans NP, Auchus R, Padmanabhan V. Developmental programming: Impact of preconceptional and gestational exposure to a real-life environmental chemical mixture on maternal steroid, cytokine and oxidative stress milieus in sheep. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 900:165674. [PMID: 37495149 PMCID: PMC10568064 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2023] [Revised: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 07/28/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Gestational exposure to environmental chemicals (ECs) is associated with adverse, sex-specific offspring health effects of global concern. As the maternal steroid, cytokine and oxidative stress milieus can have critical effects on pregnancy outcomes and the programming of diseases in offspring, it is important to study the impact of real-life EC exposure, i.e., chronic low levels of mixtures of ECs on these milieus. Sheep exposed to biosolids, derived from human waste, is an impactful model representing the ECs humans are exposed to in real-life. Offspring of sheep grazed on biosolids-treated pasture are characterized by reproductive and metabolic disruptions. OBJECTIVE To determine if biosolids exposure disrupts the maternal steroid, cytokine and oxidative stress milieus, in a fetal sex-specific manner. METHODS Ewes were maintained before mating and through gestation on pastures fertilized with biosolids (BTP), or inorganic fertilizer (Control). From maternal plasma collected mid-gestation, 19 steroids, 14 cytokines, 6 oxidative stress markers were quantified. Unpaired t-test and ANOVA were used to test for differences between control and BTP groups (n = 15/group) and between groups based on fetal sex, respectively. Correlation between the different markers was assessed by Spearman correlation. RESULTS Concentrations of the mineralocorticoids - deoxycorticosterone, corticosterone, the glucocorticoids - deoxycortisol, cortisol, cortisone, the sex steroids - androstenedione, dehydroepiandrosterone, 16-OH-progesterone and reactive oxygen metabolites were higher in the BTP ewes compared to Controls, while the proinflammatory cytokines IL-1β and IL-17A and anti-inflammatory IL-36RA were decreased in the BTP group. BTP ewes with a female fetus had lower levels of IP-10. DISCUSSION These findings suggest that pre-conceptional and gestational exposure to ECs in biosolids increases steroids, reactive oxygen metabolites and disrupts cytokines in maternal circulation, likely contributors to the aberrant phenotypic outcomes seen in offspring of BTP sheep - a translationally relevant precocial model.
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Affiliation(s)
- S V Thangaraj
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - L Zeng
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Nephrology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - S Pennathur
- Departments of Medicine and Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - R Lea
- Schools of Biosciences and Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, UK
| | - K D Sinclair
- Schools of Biosciences and Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, UK
| | - M Bellingham
- School of Biodiversity One Health and Veterinary Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, UK
| | - N P Evans
- School of Biodiversity One Health and Veterinary Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, UK
| | - R Auchus
- Departments of Pharmacology & Internal medicine, Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology, & Diabetes, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - V Padmanabhan
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
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10
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Siwakoti RC, Cathey A, Ferguson KK, Hao W, Cantonwine DE, Mukherjee B, McElrath TF, Meeker JD. Prenatal per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) exposure in relation to preterm birth subtypes and size-for-gestational age in the LIFECODES cohort 2006-2008. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 237:116967. [PMID: 37634691 PMCID: PMC10913455 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.116967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2023] [Revised: 08/02/2023] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of synthetic chemicals widely used in consumer and industrial products. Numerous studies have linked prenatal PFAS exposures to increased risks of adverse pregnancy outcomes such as preterm birth (PTB) and small-for-gestational age (SGA).However, limited evidence is available for the effects of PFAS on PTB subtypes and large-for-gestational age (LGA). OBJECTIVE To examine the associations of PFAS with PTB [overall, placental (pPTB), spontaneous (sPTB)], BW Z-score, and size-for-gestational age (SGA, LGA). METHODS Our nested case-control study included 128 preterm cases and 373 term controls from the LIFECODES cohort between 2006 and 2008 (n = 501). Plasma concentrations of nine PFAS were measured in early pregnancy samples. Logistic regression was used to assess individual PFAS-birth outcome associations, while Bayesian Kernel Machine Regression (BKMR) was used to evaluate the joint effects of all PFAS. Effect modification by fetal sex was examined, and stratified analyses were conducted to obtain fetal sex-specific estimates. RESULTS Compared to term births, the odds of pPTB were higher from an interquartile range increase in perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA) (OR = 1.60, 95% CI: 1.00-2.56), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) (OR = 1.67, 95% CI: 1.06-2.61), and perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUA) (OR = 1.77, 95% CI: 1.00-3.12), with stronger associations observed in women who delivered males. BKMR analysis identified PFNA as the most important PFAS responsible for pPTB (conditional PIP = 0.78), with increasing ORs at higher percentiles of PFAS mixture. For LGA, positive associations were observed with PFDA and perfluorooctanoic acid in females only, and with PFUA in males only. BKMR analysis showed increasing, but null effects of PFAS mixture on LGA. CONCLUSIONS The effect of prenatal exposure to single and multiple PFAS on PTB and LGA depended on fetal sex. Future studies should strongly consider examining PTB subtypes and sex-specific effects of PFAS on pregnancy outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ram C Siwakoti
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Amber Cathey
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Kelly K Ferguson
- Epidemiology Branch, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Wei Hao
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Department of Biostatistics, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - David E Cantonwine
- Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Bhramar Mukherjee
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Thomas F McElrath
- Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - John D Meeker
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
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11
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Yang L, Chen Y, Ji H, Zhang X, Zhou Y, Li J, Wang Y, Xie Z, Yuan W, Liang H, Miao M. Per- and Poly-fluoroalkyl Substances and Bile Acid Profiles in Pregnant Women. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:15869-15881. [PMID: 37821457 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c05106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/13/2023]
Abstract
Alterations in bile acid (BA) profiles are closely associated with adverse outcomes in pregnant women and their offspring and may be one potential pathway underlying the related metabolic effects of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) exposure. However, evidence of associations between PFAS exposure and BA profiles in pregnant women is scarce. This study examined the associations of individual PFAS and PFAS mixture with BA profiles of pregnant women. We obtained quantitative data on the plasma concentrations of 13 PFAS and 15 BAs in 645 pregnant women from the Jiashan birth cohort. In Bayesian kernel machine regression models, the PFAS mixture was associated with increased plasma CA, TCA, TCDCA, and GLCA levels but with decreased GCA and LCA concentrations. Furthermore, the PFAS mixture was associated with increased concentrations of total BAs and the secondary/primary BA ratio but with decreased conjugated/unconjugated and glycine/taurine-conjugated BA ratios. PFHxS, PFUdA, PFOS, PFNA, and PFDA were the dominant contributors. The results of the linear regression analysis of individual PFAS were generally similar. Our findings provide the first epidemiological evidence for the associations of a PFAS mixture with BA profiles in pregnant women and may provide explanatory insights into the biological pathways underlying the related metabolic effects of PFAS exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lan Yang
- Shanghai-MOST Key Laboratory of Health and Disease Genomics, NHC Key Lab of Reproduction Regulation, Shanghai Institute for Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Technologies, School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Yao Chen
- Shanghai-MOST Key Laboratory of Health and Disease Genomics, NHC Key Lab of Reproduction Regulation, Shanghai Institute for Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Technologies, School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Honglei Ji
- Shanghai-MOST Key Laboratory of Health and Disease Genomics, NHC Key Lab of Reproduction Regulation, Shanghai Institute for Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Technologies, School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Xi Zhang
- Clinical Research Unit, Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University, School of Medicine, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Yan Zhou
- Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Toxicology, National Reference Laboratory of Dioxin, Hubei Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Wuhan 430079, China
| | - Jianhui Li
- Shanghai Institute for Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Technologies, Hospital of SIPPR, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Yan Wang
- School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Zhenzhen Xie
- Shanghai-MOST Key Laboratory of Health and Disease Genomics, NHC Key Lab of Reproduction Regulation, Shanghai Institute for Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Technologies, School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Wei Yuan
- Shanghai-MOST Key Laboratory of Health and Disease Genomics, NHC Key Lab of Reproduction Regulation, Shanghai Institute for Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Technologies, School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Hong Liang
- Shanghai-MOST Key Laboratory of Health and Disease Genomics, NHC Key Lab of Reproduction Regulation, Shanghai Institute for Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Technologies, School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Maohua Miao
- Shanghai-MOST Key Laboratory of Health and Disease Genomics, NHC Key Lab of Reproduction Regulation, Shanghai Institute for Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Technologies, School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai 200237, China
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12
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Hansel MC, Murphy HR, Brunner J, Wang C, Miller RK, O'Connor TG, Barrett ES, Rivera-Núñez Z. Associations between neighborhood stress and maternal sex steroid hormones in pregnancy. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 2023; 23:730. [PMID: 37845614 PMCID: PMC10577914 DOI: 10.1186/s12884-023-06043-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2023] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 10/18/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Neighborhood stressors (e.g., crime and deprivation) have been associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes including preterm birth and low birth weight. A potential mechanism is disruption of maternal endocrine pathways. While stress hormones (e.g., cortisol) have received much attention, other relevant hormones, including sex steroids, have been overlooked. METHODS Pregnant women in the Understanding Pregnancy Signals and Infant Development (UPSIDE) study contributed biospecimens, questionnaires, and medical record data (n = 262). In each trimester, maternal serum total testosterone [TT], estrone, estradiol, and estriol were measured using LC/MS-MS and serum free testosterone was measured by equilibrium dialysis. In the third trimester, participants reported on neighborhood stress over the last year through the validated City Stress Inventory. We examined two subscales: 11-item neighborhood disorder (e.g., vacant buildings, crime) and 7-item exposure to violence (personal experiences of violence). Composite scores were calculated and examined categorically (quartile (Q) for neighborhood disorder and any/none for exposure to violence). We fitted linear mixed models examining associations between neighborhood stressors and sex steroid hormones across pregnancy as well as trimester-specific linear regression models, all adjusting for confounders. Secondarily, we stratified by fetal sex. Results are presented as percentage change (∆%) and 95% confidence interval (CI) in hormones. RESULTS Most participants (73%) reported one or more exposures to neighborhood disorder; 22% reported any exposure to violence. In adjusted models, neighborhood disorder was associated with higher TT across pregnancy (Q2: %∆= 37.3, 95%CI: 13.2, 66.5; Q3: %∆= 22.2, 95%CI: 1.2, 47.5; and Q4: %∆= 25.7, 95%CI: 1.6, 55.3), with the strongest associations observed in the third trimester (Q2: %∆= 38.0, 95%CI: 10.6, 72.1; Q3: %∆= 29.2, 95%CI: 4.4, 59.9; and Q4: %∆=33.4, 95%CI: 4.9, 69.6). In stratified models, neighborhood disorder was associated with higher TT among women carrying male fetuses (%∆ range: 48.2-84.8). Exposure to violence was not associated with any hormones. CONCLUSION Neighborhood disorder is associated with higher maternal testosterone levels, which may have implications for maternal and child health. Additional research is needed to understand the mechanisms by which neighborhood stress impacts endocrine physiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan C Hansel
- Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Rutgers School of Public Health, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Hannah R Murphy
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Jessica Brunner
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Christina Wang
- Clinical and Translational Science Institute, The Lundquist Institute at Harbor -UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, CA, USA
| | - Richard K Miller
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Thomas G O'Connor
- Departments of Psychiatry, Psychology, Neuroscience, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Emily S Barrett
- Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Rutgers School of Public Health, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Zorimar Rivera-Núñez
- Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Rutgers School of Public Health, Piscataway, NJ, USA.
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13
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Gaggi G, Di Credico A, Barbagallo F, Ghinassi B, Di Baldassarre A. Bisphenols and perfluoroalkyls alter human stem cells integrity: A possible link with infertility. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 235:116487. [PMID: 37419196 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.116487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2023] [Revised: 05/31/2023] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/09/2023]
Abstract
Bisphenols and Perfluoroalkyls are chemical compounds widely used in industry known to be endocrine disruptors (EDs). Once ingested through contaminated aliments, they mimic the activity of endogenous hormones leading to a broad spectrum of diseases. Due to the extensive use of plastic in human life, particular attention should be paid to antenatal exposure to Bisphenols and Perfluoroalkyls since they cross the placental barrier and accumulates in developing embryo. Here we investigated the effects of Bisphenol-A (BPA), Bisphenol-S (BPS), perfluorooctane-sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic-acid (PFOA), alone or combined, on human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) that share several biological features with the stem cells of blastocysts. Our data show that these EDs affect hiPSC inducing a great mitotoxicity and dramatic changes in genes involved in the maintenance of pluripotency, germline specification, and epigenetic regulation. We also evidenced that these chemicals, when combined, may have additive, synergistic but also negative effects. All these data suggest that antenatal exposure to these EDs may affect the integrity of stem cells in the developing embryos, interfering with critical stages of early human development that might be determinant for fertility. The observation that the effects of exposure to a combination of these chemicals are not easily foreseeable further highlights the need for wider awareness of the complexity of the EDs effects on human health and of the social and economic burden attributable to these compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Gaggi
- Reprogramming and Cell Differentiation Lab, Center for Advanced Studies and Technology (CAST), 66100, Chieti, Italy; Department of Medicine and Aging Sciences, "G. D'Annunzio" , University of Chieti-Pescara, 66100, Chieti, Italy; UdA -TechLab, "G. D'Annunzio", University of Chieti-Pescara, 66100, Chieti, Italy
| | - Andrea Di Credico
- Reprogramming and Cell Differentiation Lab, Center for Advanced Studies and Technology (CAST), 66100, Chieti, Italy; Department of Medicine and Aging Sciences, "G. D'Annunzio" , University of Chieti-Pescara, 66100, Chieti, Italy; UdA -TechLab, "G. D'Annunzio", University of Chieti-Pescara, 66100, Chieti, Italy
| | | | - Barbara Ghinassi
- Reprogramming and Cell Differentiation Lab, Center for Advanced Studies and Technology (CAST), 66100, Chieti, Italy; Department of Medicine and Aging Sciences, "G. D'Annunzio" , University of Chieti-Pescara, 66100, Chieti, Italy; UdA -TechLab, "G. D'Annunzio", University of Chieti-Pescara, 66100, Chieti, Italy.
| | - Angela Di Baldassarre
- Reprogramming and Cell Differentiation Lab, Center for Advanced Studies and Technology (CAST), 66100, Chieti, Italy; Department of Medicine and Aging Sciences, "G. D'Annunzio" , University of Chieti-Pescara, 66100, Chieti, Italy; UdA -TechLab, "G. D'Annunzio", University of Chieti-Pescara, 66100, Chieti, Italy
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14
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Di Credico A, Gaggi G, Bucci I, Ghinassi B, Di Baldassarre A. The Effects of Combined Exposure to Bisphenols and Perfluoroalkyls on Human Perinatal Stem Cells and the Potential Implications for Health Outcomes. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:15018. [PMID: 37834465 PMCID: PMC10573528 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241915018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2023] [Revised: 10/03/2023] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The present study investigates the impact of two endocrine disruptors, namely Bisphenols (BPs) and Perfluoroalkyls (PFs), on human stem cells. These chemicals leach from plastic, and when ingested through contaminated food and water, they interfere with endogenous hormone signaling, causing various diseases. While the ability of BPs and PFs to cross the placental barrier and accumulate in fetal serum has been documented, the exact consequences for human development require further elucidation. The present research work explored the effects of combined exposure to BPs (BPA or BPS) and PFs (PFOS and PFOA) on human placenta (fetal membrane mesenchymal stromal cells, hFM-MSCs) and amniotic fluid (hAFSCs)-derived stem cells. The effects of the xenobiotics were assessed by analyzing cell proliferation, mitochondrial functionality, and the expression of genes involved in pluripotency and epigenetic regulation, which are crucial for early human development. Our findings demonstrate that antenatal exposure to BPs and/or PFs may alter the biological characteristics of perinatal stem cells and fetal epigenome, with potential implications for health outcomes at birth and in adulthood. Further research is necessary to comprehend the full extent of these effects and their long-term consequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Di Credico
- Reprogramming and Cell Differentiation Lab, Center for Advanced Studies and Technology (CAST), 66100 Chieti, Italy; (A.D.C.); (I.B.); (B.G.); (A.D.B.)
- Department of Medicine and Aging Sciences, “G. D’Annunzio” University of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy
- UdA TechLab Center (UdATech), 66100 Chieti, Italy
| | - Giulia Gaggi
- Reprogramming and Cell Differentiation Lab, Center for Advanced Studies and Technology (CAST), 66100 Chieti, Italy; (A.D.C.); (I.B.); (B.G.); (A.D.B.)
- Department of Medicine and Aging Sciences, “G. D’Annunzio” University of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy
- UdA TechLab Center (UdATech), 66100 Chieti, Italy
| | - Ines Bucci
- Reprogramming and Cell Differentiation Lab, Center for Advanced Studies and Technology (CAST), 66100 Chieti, Italy; (A.D.C.); (I.B.); (B.G.); (A.D.B.)
- Department of Medicine and Aging Sciences, “G. D’Annunzio” University of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy
| | - Barbara Ghinassi
- Reprogramming and Cell Differentiation Lab, Center for Advanced Studies and Technology (CAST), 66100 Chieti, Italy; (A.D.C.); (I.B.); (B.G.); (A.D.B.)
- Department of Medicine and Aging Sciences, “G. D’Annunzio” University of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy
- UdA TechLab Center (UdATech), 66100 Chieti, Italy
| | - Angela Di Baldassarre
- Reprogramming and Cell Differentiation Lab, Center for Advanced Studies and Technology (CAST), 66100 Chieti, Italy; (A.D.C.); (I.B.); (B.G.); (A.D.B.)
- Department of Medicine and Aging Sciences, “G. D’Annunzio” University of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy
- UdA TechLab Center (UdATech), 66100 Chieti, Italy
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15
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Kinkade CW, Rivera-Núñez Z, Thurston SW, Kannan K, Miller RK, Brunner J, Wong E, Groth S, O'Connor TG, Barrett ES. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, gestational weight gain, postpartum weight retention and body composition in the UPSIDE cohort. Environ Health 2023; 22:61. [PMID: 37658449 PMCID: PMC10474772 DOI: 10.1186/s12940-023-01009-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2023] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 09/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are synthetic chemicals found in drinking water and consumer products, resulting in ubiquitous human exposure. PFAS have been linked to endocrine disruption and altered weight gain across the lifespan. A limited and inconsistent body of research suggests PFAS may impact gestational weight gain (GWG) and postpartum body mass index (BMI), which are important predictors of overall infant and maternal health, respectively. METHODS In the Understanding Pregnancy Signals and Infant Development (UPSIDE/UPSIDE-MOMs) study (n = 243; Rochester, NY), we examined second trimester serum PFAS (PFOS: perfluorooctanesulfonic acid, PFOA: perfluorooctanoic acid, PFNA: perfluorononanoic acid, PFHxS: perfluorohexanesulfonic acid, PFDA: perfluorodecanoic acid) in relation to GWG (kg, and weekly rate of gain) and in the postpartum, weight retention (PPWR (kg) and total body fat percentage (measured by bioelectrical impedance)). We fit multivariable linear regression models examining these outcomes in relation to log-transformed PFAS in the whole cohort as well as stratified by maternal pre-pregnancy BMI (< 25 vs. = > 25 kg/m2), adjusting for demographics and lifestyle factors. We used weighted quantile sum regression to find the combined influence of the 5 PFAS on GWG, PPWR, and body fat percentage. RESULTS PFOA and PFHxS were inversely associated with total GWG (PFOA: ß = -1.54 kg, 95%CI: -2.79, -0.30; rate ß = -0.05 kg/week, 95%CI: -0.09, -0.01; PFHxS: ß = -1.59 kg, 95%CI: -3.39, 0.21; rate ß = -0.05 kg/week, 95%CI: -0.11, 0.01) and PPWR at 6 and 12 months (PFOA 6 months: ß = -2.39 kg, 95%CI: -4.17, -0.61; 12 months: ß = -4.02 kg, 95%CI: -6.58, -1.46; PFHxS 6 months: ß = -2.94 kg, 95%CI: -5.52, -0.35; 12 months: ß = -5.13 kg, 95%CI: -8.34, -1.93). PFOA was additionally associated with lower body fat percentage at 6 and 12 months (ß = -1.75, 95%CI: -3.17, -0.32; ß = -1.64, 95%CI: -3.43, 0.16, respectively) with stronger associations observed in participants with higher pre-pregnancy BMI. The PFAS mixture was inversely associated with weight retention at 12 months (ß = -2.030, 95%CI: -3.486, -0.573) amongst all participants. CONCLUSION PFAS, in particular PFOA and PFHxS, in pregnancy are associated with altered patterns of GWG and postpartum adiposity with potential implications for fetal development and long-term maternal cardiometabolic health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolyn W Kinkade
- Environmental and Occupational Sciences Institute, Rutgers University, Piscataway, 170 Frelinghuysen Road, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA.
| | - Zorimar Rivera-Núñez
- Environmental and Occupational Sciences Institute, Rutgers University, Piscataway, 170 Frelinghuysen Road, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
- Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Rutgers School of Public Health, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Sally W Thurston
- Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY, USA
- Department of Environmental Medicine, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Kurunthachalam Kannan
- Department of Environmental Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Richard K Miller
- Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Jessica Brunner
- Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY, USA
- Psychiatry, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Eunyoung Wong
- School of Nursing, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Susan Groth
- School of Nursing, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Thomas G O'Connor
- Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY, USA
- Psychiatry, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Emily S Barrett
- Environmental and Occupational Sciences Institute, Rutgers University, Piscataway, 170 Frelinghuysen Road, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
- Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Rutgers School of Public Health, Piscataway, NJ, USA
- Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY, USA
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16
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Gaggi G, Di Credico A, Barbagallo F, Ballerini P, Ghinassi B, Di Baldassarre A. Antenatal Exposure to Plastic Pollutants: Study of the Bisphenols and Perfluoroalkyls Effects on Human Stem Cell Models. EXPOSURE AND HEALTH 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s12403-023-00586-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2023] [Revised: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 07/05/2023] [Indexed: 09/02/2023]
Abstract
AbstractEndocrine disruptors (EDs), such as Bisphenols (BPs) and Perfluoroalkyls (PFs), are a class of plastic pollutants widely used in industrial applications. Human exposure to these molecules usually occurs through ingestion of contaminated food and water. Once entered the human body they can interfere with endogenous hormone signaling, leading to a wide spectrum of diseases. It has been reported that BPs and PFs can cross the placental barrier accumulating in the fetal serum, but the detrimental consequences for human development remain to be clarified. Here we analyze the effects of different doses of bisphenol A and S (BPA, BPS) perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) on proliferation and mitochondrial health on different types of stem cells: through an integrated approach that combines data from pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) with that from the “environment” in which the embryo develops (fetal annexes-derived perinatal stem cells) we verified the potential developmental toxicity of the in utero EDs exposure. Data obtained showed that overall, BPs, and PFs tended to increase the proliferation rate of perinatal stem cells; a similar response was observed in hiPSCs exposed to very low doses of BPs and PFs, while at higher concentrations these chemicals were toxic; in addition, both the BPs and the PFs exerted a mitotoxic effects hiPSCs at all the concentration studied. All these data suggest that antenatal exposure to BPs and PFs, also at very low concentrations, may modify the biological characteristics of stem cells present in both the developing fetus and the fetal annexes, thus perturbing normal human development.
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17
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Rivera-Núñez Z, Hansel M, Capurro C, Kozlosky D, Wang C, Doherty CL, Buckley B, Ohman-Strickland P, Miller RK, O’Connor TG, Aleksunes LM, Barrett ES. Prenatal Cadmium Exposure and Maternal Sex Steroid Hormone Concentrations across Pregnancy. TOXICS 2023; 11:589. [PMID: 37505555 PMCID: PMC10384739 DOI: 10.3390/toxics11070589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2023] [Revised: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
Cadmium exposure has been associated with adverse perinatal outcomes. One possible mechanism is endocrine disruption. Studies of non-pregnant adults suggest that cadmium impacts androgen production; here, we examined these associations during pregnancy. Participants in the Understanding Pregnancy Signals and Infant Development (UPSIDE) cohort provided biospecimens and questionnaire data in each trimester (n = 272). We quantified urinary cadmium, serum total testosterone (TT), estrone, estradiol, and estriol and serum free testosterone (fT). In adjusted longitudinal models, we examined sex steroid concentrations across pregnancy in relation to specific gravity-adjusted, ln-transformed cadmium concentrations. Additionally, we examined trimester-specific associations and stratified models by fetal sex. Results are presented as percent change (%∆) in hormone concentrations. In longitudinal models, higher cadmium concentrations were associated with lower fT across pregnancy (%∆ = -5.19, 95%CI: -8.33, -1.93), with no differences in other hormones observed. In trimester-specific models, higher cadmium concentrations were associated with lower TT in trimester 2 (%∆ = -15.26, 95%CI: -25.15, -4.06) and lower fT in trimester 3 (%∆ = -14.35, 95%CI: -19.75, -8.59). Associations with TT were stronger in pregnancies carrying female fetuses. Maternal cadmium exposure may be associated with reduced testosterone in pregnancy. Additional work is necessary to understand how alterations in gestational testosterone activity may impact pregnancy and child health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zorimar Rivera-Núñez
- Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Rutgers School of Public Health, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA; (M.H.); (C.C.); (P.O.-S.); (E.S.B.)
- Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA; (D.K.); (C.L.D.); (B.B.); (L.M.A.)
| | - Megan Hansel
- Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Rutgers School of Public Health, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA; (M.H.); (C.C.); (P.O.-S.); (E.S.B.)
| | - Camila Capurro
- Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Rutgers School of Public Health, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA; (M.H.); (C.C.); (P.O.-S.); (E.S.B.)
| | - Danielle Kozlosky
- Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA; (D.K.); (C.L.D.); (B.B.); (L.M.A.)
| | - Christina Wang
- Clinical and Translational Science Institute, The Lundquist Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, CA 90502, USA;
| | - Cathleen L. Doherty
- Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA; (D.K.); (C.L.D.); (B.B.); (L.M.A.)
| | - Brian Buckley
- Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA; (D.K.); (C.L.D.); (B.B.); (L.M.A.)
| | - Pamela Ohman-Strickland
- Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Rutgers School of Public Health, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA; (M.H.); (C.C.); (P.O.-S.); (E.S.B.)
| | - Richard K. Miller
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14620, USA; (R.K.M.); (T.G.O.)
- Department of Environmental Medicine, Pediatrics and Pathology, University of Rochester, New York, NY 14642, USA
| | - Thomas G. O’Connor
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14620, USA; (R.K.M.); (T.G.O.)
- Departments of Psychiatry, Psychology, Neuroscience, University of Rochester, New York, NY 14620, USA
| | - Lauren M. Aleksunes
- Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA; (D.K.); (C.L.D.); (B.B.); (L.M.A.)
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Emily S. Barrett
- Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Rutgers School of Public Health, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA; (M.H.); (C.C.); (P.O.-S.); (E.S.B.)
- Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA; (D.K.); (C.L.D.); (B.B.); (L.M.A.)
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14620, USA; (R.K.M.); (T.G.O.)
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18
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Jain RB, Ducatman A. Factors affecting serum PFAS concentrations among US females with surgically and naturally induced menopause: data from NHANES 2003-2018. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023:10.1007/s11356-023-28395-y. [PMID: 37369902 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-28395-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023]
Abstract
Sex hormones influence excretion of the biopersistent per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in rodents, but such influences in human studies are less clear. Data from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) for 2003-2018 for US females aged ≥ 20 years who reported having hysterectomy (HYST, N=1064) and who reported being in natural menopause (MENOP, N=1505) were analyzed for associations of ever use of birth control pills, past pregnancies, live births, and other factors with serum concentrations of six per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). For both HYST and MENOP, PFAS concentrations computed as adjusted geometric means (AGM) were higher among those who took female replacement hormone therapy (HRT) compared to nonusers in multivariable adjusted models, for example PFOS in HRT takers (10.70 ng/mL; 95% C.I. 9.46-12.11) vs. 8.70 ng/mL (95% C.I. 8.07-9.37) in nonusers (p<0.01), and PFOA in HRT users was 2.85 ng/mL (95% C.I. 2.53-3.21) vs. 2.44 ng/mL (95% C.I. 2.32-2.36) in nonusers (p=0.01), with similar findings across race/ethnicity stratifications. HYST participants with retained ovaries sometimes had higher serum PFAS than those without ovaries in post-HYST participants not taking HRT, but results had overlapping confidence intervals in all cases and were inconsistent. PFASs were inversely associated with obesity and directly associated with higher SES as reflected in poverty income ratio (PIR) in most cases, yet HRT results for the entire population are robust to adjustments for obesity and PIR. The results suggest the hypothesis that exogenous hormone use, and specifically estrogen hormones, are associated with higher serum PFAS in postmenopausal women. We discuss potential explanations for the findings, including data from other populations that estrogens may delay the onset of kidney disease, a finding which might paradoxically increase serum PFAS among the HRT population to explain some or all of our findings in a menopausal population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ram B Jain
- 4331 Kendrick Circle, Loganville, GA, 30019, USA.
| | - Alan Ducatman
- West Virginia University School of Public Health, Morgantown, WV, USA
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19
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Xing Y, Li Y, Sheng N, Yin X, Dai J, Li P, Pan Y. Association between Serum Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substance Levels and Risk of Central and Peripheral Precocious Puberty in Girls. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023. [PMID: 37308320 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c01271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Concerns about the endocrine-disrupting effects of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) have raised questions about their potential influence on precocious puberty in girls, which is an emerging concern in some populations. However, epidemiological evidence is lacking. In this study, 882 serum samples were collected from girls with central precocious puberty (CPP, n = 226), peripheral precocious puberty (PPP, n = 316), and healthy controls (n = 340) in 2021 in Shanghai, China. The serum levels of 25 legacy and emerging PFASs and 17 steroids were measured. Results showed that PFAS exposure was positively associated with estradiol levels. Eleven PFASs were significantly or marginally associated with the higher odds of the overall precocious puberty. Across subtypes, PFASs were more clearly associated with PPP, while the associations with CPP were consistent in direction but did not reach statistical significance. These findings were consistent with the assessment of PFAS mixtures using quantile-based g-computation (qgcomp) and Bayesian kernel machine regression, with perfluorobutane sulfonate and 6:2 polyfluorinated ether sulfonate showing the highest contribution to joint effects. Although changes in serum estradiol could arise from various factors, our results suggest that the PFAS exposure may contribute to the increase in estradiol secretion, thereby increasing the risk of precocious puberty, especially PPP. The potential effects of PFASs on precocious puberty warrant further investigation, given the associated complications of public health concern, including psychological distress and increased risk of multiple diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanan Xing
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Environmental Health Impact Assessment of Emerging Contaminants, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Yan Li
- Department of Endocrinology, Shanghai Children's Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200062, China
| | - Nan Sheng
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Environmental Health Impact Assessment of Emerging Contaminants, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Xiaoqin Yin
- Department of Endocrinology, Shanghai Children's Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200062, China
| | - Jiayin Dai
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Environmental Health Impact Assessment of Emerging Contaminants, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Pin Li
- Department of Endocrinology, Shanghai Children's Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200062, China
| | - Yitao Pan
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Environmental Health Impact Assessment of Emerging Contaminants, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
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