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Lismer A, Shao X, Dumargne MC, Lafleur C, Lambrot R, Chan D, Toft G, Bonde JP, MacFarlane AJ, Bornman R, Aneck-Hahn N, Patrick S, Bailey JM, de Jager C, Dumeaux V, Trasler JM, Kimmins S. The Association between Long-Term DDT or DDE Exposures and an Altered Sperm Epigenome-a Cross-Sectional Study of Greenlandic Inuit and South African VhaVenda Men. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2024; 132:17008. [PMID: 38294233 PMCID: PMC10829569 DOI: 10.1289/ehp12013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2022] [Revised: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 02/01/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The organochlorine dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) is banned worldwide owing to its negative health effects. It is exceptionally used as an insecticide for malaria control. Exposure occurs in regions where DDT is applied, as well as in the Arctic, where its endocrine disrupting metabolite, p , p ' -dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (p , p ' -DDE) accumulates in marine mammals and fish. DDT and p , p ' -DDE exposures are linked to birth defects, infertility, cancer, and neurodevelopmental delays. Of particular concern is the potential of DDT use to impact the health of generations to come via the heritable sperm epigenome. OBJECTIVES The objective of this study was to assess the sperm epigenome in relation to p , p ' -DDE serum levels between geographically diverse populations. METHODS In the Limpopo Province of South Africa, we recruited 247 VhaVenda South African men and selected 50 paired blood serum and semen samples, and 47 Greenlandic Inuit blood and semen paired samples were selected from a total of 193 samples from the biobank of the INUENDO cohort, an EU Fifth Framework Programme Research and Development project. Sample selection was based on obtaining a range of p , p ' -DDE serum levels (mean = 870.734 ± 134.030 ng / mL ). We assessed the sperm epigenome in relation to serum p , p ' -DDE levels using MethylC-Capture-sequencing (MCC-seq) and chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by sequencing (ChIP-seq). We identified genomic regions with altered DNA methylation (DNAme) and differential enrichment of histone H3 lysine 4 trimethylation (H3K4me3) in sperm. RESULTS Differences in DNAme and H3K4me3 enrichment were identified at transposable elements and regulatory regions involved in fertility, disease, development, and neurofunction. A subset of regions with sperm DNAme and H3K4me3 that differed between exposure groups was predicted to persist in the preimplantation embryo and to be associated with embryonic gene expression. DISCUSSION These findings suggest that DDT and p , p ' -DDE exposure impacts the sperm epigenome in a dose-response-like manner and may negatively impact the health of future generations through epigenetic mechanisms. Confounding factors, such as other environmental exposures, genetic diversity, and selection bias, cannot be ruled out. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP12013.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ariane Lismer
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Xiaojian Shao
- Digital Technologies Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Marie-Charlotte Dumargne
- Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Christine Lafleur
- University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Romain Lambrot
- University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Donovan Chan
- Child Health and Human Development Program, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Gunnar Toft
- Steno Diabetes Center Aarhus, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Jens Peter Bonde
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Bispebjerg University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Institute of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Amanda J. MacFarlane
- Agriculture Food and Nutrition Evidence Center, Texas A&M University, Fort Worth, Texas, USA
| | - Riana Bornman
- Environmental Chemical Pollution and Health Research Unit, School of Health Systems and Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
- University of Pretoria Institute for Sustainable Malaria Control, School of Health Systems and Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Natalie Aneck-Hahn
- University of Pretoria Institute for Sustainable Malaria Control, School of Health Systems and Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Sean Patrick
- University of Pretoria Institute for Sustainable Malaria Control, School of Health Systems and Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Janice M. Bailey
- Research Centre on Reproduction and Intergenerational Health, Department of Animal Sciences, Université Laval, Quebec, Quebec, Canada
| | - Christiaan de Jager
- Environmental Chemical Pollution and Health Research Unit, School of Health Systems and Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
- University of Pretoria Institute for Sustainable Malaria Control, School of Health Systems and Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Vanessa Dumeaux
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Oncology, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jacquetta M. Trasler
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Child Health and Human Development Program, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Department of Human Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Sarah Kimmins
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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Pi X, Qiao Y, Wang C, Li Z, Liu J, Wang L, Jin L, Ren A. Concentrations of organochlorine pesticides in placental tissue are not associated with risk for fetal orofacial clefts. Reprod Toxicol 2020; 98:99-106. [PMID: 32920085 DOI: 10.1016/j.reprotox.2020.08.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2020] [Revised: 08/04/2020] [Accepted: 08/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Previous epidemiological studies have shown that prenatal exposure to organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) entails a variety of adverse impacts on fetal health, but it is not yet known whether it is associated with risk for orofacial clefts (OFCs). This study of 103 fetuses or newborns with a diagnosis of OFCs (cases) and 103 healthy newborns without malformations (controls) examined whether prenatal exposure to OCPs, as indicated by their concentrations in placental tissue, is a risk factor for OFCs. No differences were found in the median concentrations of OCPs between cases and controls, with exception of o,p'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene, o,p'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane, and total o,p'-dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDTs), whose concentrations were higher in controls than in cases (Ps < 0.05). Although higher concentrations of placental δhexachlorocyclohexane and isodrin were found to be associated with decreased risk for OFCs in logistic regression, no association was observed in the Bayesian kernel machine regression, a novel statistical model in analyzing exposure mixtures. Women who reported periconceptional folic acid supplementation had lower placental concentrations of DDTs than women who did not. In conclusion, no association between levels of OCPs in placental tissue and risk for OFCs was observed in this population. Supplementation with folic acid may help decrease the levels of DDTs in placental tissue, but further studies are needed to confirm this unexpected finding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Pi
- Institute of Reproductive and Child Health/Key Laboratory of Reproductive Health, National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China; Department of Social Medicine and Health Education, Peking University School of Public Health, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Yiran Qiao
- Institute of Reproductive and Child Health/Key Laboratory of Reproductive Health, National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Chengrong Wang
- Institute of Reproductive and Child Health/Key Laboratory of Reproductive Health, National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China; Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100026, China
| | - Zhiwen Li
- Institute of Reproductive and Child Health/Key Laboratory of Reproductive Health, National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Jufen Liu
- Institute of Reproductive and Child Health/Key Laboratory of Reproductive Health, National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Linlin Wang
- Institute of Reproductive and Child Health/Key Laboratory of Reproductive Health, National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Lei Jin
- Institute of Reproductive and Child Health/Key Laboratory of Reproductive Health, National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China.
| | - Aiguo Ren
- Institute of Reproductive and Child Health/Key Laboratory of Reproductive Health, National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China; Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100026, China.
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Yin S, Wei J, Wei Y, Jin L, Wang L, Zhang X, Jia X, Ren A. Organochlorine pesticides exposure may disturb homocysteine metabolism in pregnant women. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 708:135146. [PMID: 31787282 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.135146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2019] [Revised: 10/18/2019] [Accepted: 10/22/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Maternal exposure to organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) has an adverse impact on maternal and fetal health, and excessive homocysteine is related to a variety of adverse pregnancy outcomes. Biomimetic studies suggest that OCPs interfere with folate-dependent pathways, but little evidence is available from studies with human subjects. This study explored whether exposure to OCPs interferes with the metabolism of homocysteine, which is folate dependent. A total of 313 pregnant women at 12-20 weeks gestation were recruited in Shanxi province, China, from 2014 to 2015. Plasma concentrations of 20 OCPs, including dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane and metabolites (DDTs), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), and hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs), were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Blood folate concentrations were analyzed by microbiological assay, and plasma homocysteine concentrations were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Information on demographics, lifestyle behaviors, and folic acid supplementation was collected by in-person interview. Of the women, 99% reported having taken folic acid supplements. Results of a logistic regression analysis showed that higher plasma levels of OCPs were associated with increased odds of higher plasma homocysteine after adjustment for potential confounding factors. Positive correlations were observed between plasma OCPs and plasma homocysteine concentrations: HCB (r = 0.176, p = 0.002), β-HCH (r = 0.172, p = 0.002), ρ,ρ'-DDE (r = 0.132, p = 0.020), ρ,ρ'-DDD (r = 0.161, p = 0.004), and ο,ρ'-DDT (r = 0.144, p = 0.011). Plasma concentrations of OCPs were negatively correlated with red blood cell (RBC) folate in the low-RBC-folate subgroup, but the correlations were not statistically significant. A positive correlation was observed between OCPs and homocysteine in the low-RBC-folate subgroup. These findings suggest that OCPs may disturb the folate-dependent homocysteine metabolism pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shengju Yin
- Institute of Reproductive and Child Health/Key Laboratory of Reproductive Health, National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Jing Wei
- Institute of Reproductive and Child Health/Key Laboratory of Reproductive Health, National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Yihui Wei
- Institute of Reproductive and Child Health/Key Laboratory of Reproductive Health, National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Lei Jin
- Institute of Reproductive and Child Health/Key Laboratory of Reproductive Health, National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Linlin Wang
- Institute of Reproductive and Child Health/Key Laboratory of Reproductive Health, National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Xuejuan Zhang
- Health Education Division, Shanxi Children's Hospital/Shanxi Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, Taiyuan 030002, China
| | - Xiaoqian Jia
- Institute of Reproductive and Child Health/Key Laboratory of Reproductive Health, National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Aiguo Ren
- Institute of Reproductive and Child Health/Key Laboratory of Reproductive Health, National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China.
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Herst PM, Dalvai M, Lessard M, Charest PL, Navarro P, Joly-Beauparlant C, Droit A, Trasler JM, Kimmins S, MacFarlane AJ, Benoit-Biancamano MO, Bailey JL. Folic acid supplementation reduces multigenerational sperm miRNA perturbation induced by in utero environmental contaminant exposure. ENVIRONMENTAL EPIGENETICS 2019; 5:dvz024. [PMID: 31853372 PMCID: PMC6911352 DOI: 10.1093/eep/dvz024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2019] [Revised: 10/07/2019] [Accepted: 11/15/2019] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) can induce epigenetic changes in the paternal germline. Here, we report that folic acid (FA) supplementation mitigates sperm miRNA profiles transgenerationally following in utero paternal exposure to POPs in a rat model. Pregnant founder dams were exposed to an environmentally relevant POPs mixture (or corn oil) ± FA supplementation and subsequent F1-F4 male descendants were not exposed to POPs and were fed the FA control diet. Sperm miRNA profiles of intergenerational (F1, F2) and transgenerational (F3, F4) lineages were investigated using miRNA deep sequencing. Across the F1-F4 generations, sperm miRNA profiles were less perturbed with POPs+FA compared to sperm from descendants of dams treated with POPs alone. POPs exposure consistently led to alteration of three sperm miRNAs across two generations, and similarly one sperm miRNA due to POPs+FA; which was in common with one POPs intergenerationally altered sperm miRNA. The sperm miRNAs that were affected by POPs alone are known to target genes involved in mammary gland and embryonic organ development in F1, sex differentiation and reproductive system development in F2 and cognition and brain development in F3. When the POPs treatment was combined with FA supplementation, however, these same miRNA-targeted gene pathways were perturbed to a lesser extend and only in F1 sperm. These findings suggest that FA partially mitigates the effect of POPs on paternally derived miRNA in a intergenerational manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- P M Herst
- Department of Animal Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Centre de recherche en reproduction, développement et santé intergénérationnelle, Laval University, Quebec City, Canada
| | - M Dalvai
- Department of Animal Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Centre de recherche en reproduction, développement et santé intergénérationnelle, Laval University, Quebec City, Canada
| | - M Lessard
- Department of Animal Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Centre de recherche en reproduction, développement et santé intergénérationnelle, Laval University, Quebec City, Canada
| | - P L Charest
- Department of Animal Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Centre de recherche en reproduction, développement et santé intergénérationnelle, Laval University, Quebec City, Canada
| | - P Navarro
- Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Institute of Nutrition and Functional Foods, Centre de recherche en reproduction, développement et santé intergénérationnelle, Laval University, Quebec City, Canada
| | - C Joly-Beauparlant
- Computational Biology Laboratory Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine, Laval University, Quebec City, Canada
| | - A Droit
- Computational Biology Laboratory Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine, Laval University, Quebec City, Canada
| | - J M Trasler
- Departments of Pediatrics, Human Genetics and Pharmacology & Therapeutics, and The Montreal Children's Hospital and Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - S Kimmins
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - A J MacFarlane
- Nutrition Research Division, Health Canada, Ottawa, Canada
| | - M-O Benoit-Biancamano
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Montreal University, Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada
| | - J L Bailey
- Department of Animal Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Centre de recherche en reproduction, développement et santé intergénérationnelle, Laval University, Quebec City, Canada
- Correspondence address. Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Laval University, Pavillon Paul-Comtois, 2425, rue de l'Agriculture. Tel: +1-418-571-7034; Fax: +1-418- 656-3766; E-mail:
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Zhong L, Xiang X, Lu W, Zhou P, Wang L. Interference of xenoestrogen o,p'-DDT on the action of endogenous estrogens at environmentally realistic concentrations. BULLETIN OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION AND TOXICOLOGY 2013; 90:591-595. [PMID: 23478948 DOI: 10.1007/s00128-013-0976-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2012] [Accepted: 03/01/2013] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Estrogenic effects of individual chemicals and mixtures of 17β-estradiol (E2) and o,p'-DDT were examined using pS2 and PR gene expressions in MCF-7 cells. Interactions between E2 and o,p'-DDT were evaluated by a statistical method based on factorial design. At levels close to environmentally realistic concentrations, no significant interactions between E2 and o,p'-DDT were observed, suggesting that the xenoestrogen (o,p'-DDT) could act in an additive way with the endogenous estrogen (E2). These results demonstrated the utility of this statistical method in a mixture study, and highlight the potential interference and health risk of low-level xenoestrogens, such as o,p'-DDT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lingying Zhong
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, People's Republic of China
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