Particulate matter 2.5 exposure during pregnancy and birth outcomes: Evidence from Colombia

Particulate matter is a type of air pollution that consists of fine particles with a diameter <2.5 μm (PM2.5), which can easily penetrate the respiratory system and enter the bloodstream, increasing health risks for pregnant women and their unborn babies. Recent reports have suggested that there is a positive association between PM2.5 exposure and adverse pregnancy outcomes. However, most evidence of this relationship comes from Western countries. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the association between PM2.5 exposure during pregnancy and birth outcomes among pregnant women in Colombia. This study included 542,800 singletons born in 2019 to Colombian women, aged 15+ years, residing in 981 municipalities. Data on parental, child and birth characteristics were extracted from anonymized live birth records. Satellite-based estimates of monthly PM2.5 concentrations at the surface level were extracted for each municipality from the Atmospheric Composition Analysis Group (ACAG). PM2.5 exposure during pregnancy was indicated by the monthly average of PM2.5 concentrations across the pregnancy duration for the municipality where the child was born. The associations of municipality-level PM2.5 concentration during pregnancy with pre-term birth (PTB) and low birth weight (LBW) were tested in separate two-level logistic regression models, with babies nested within municipalities. The prevalence of PTB and LBW were 8.6 % and 8.3 %, respectively. The mean PM2.5 concentration across the 981 municipalities was 18.26 ± 3.30 μg/m3, ranging from 9.11 to 31.44 μg/m3. Greater PM2.5 concentration at municipality level was associated with greater odds of PTB (1.05; 95%CI: 1.04-1.06) and LBW (1.04; 95%CI: 1.03-1.05), after adjustment for confounders. Our findings provide new evidence on the association between PM2.5 on adverse pregnancy outcomes from a middle-income country.

Association of triclosan and human infertility: A systematic review

Triclosan (TCS) is a chemical compound, which has antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal properties. TCS is considered an endocrine-disrupting chemical, which has been shown to interfere with developmental, behavioral, and reproductive outcomes in biological models and cell cultures. However, implications about exposure to TCS and human infertility are rare. Thus, the main of this review is summarize the available evidence of the association between triclosan exposure on human infertility. For this, systematic review was conducted following the recommendations established in Report of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guide (PRISMA). Initially, an electronic search in MEDLINE (via PubMed) and Science direct was performed. The methodological quality of the included studies was verified through the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) checklists. All selection and data extraction processes were carried out independently by two reviewers. The evidence was organized and presented using tables and narrative synthesis. There is lacking evidence about the association between triclosan and human infertility. Overall, no association between triclosan and infertility was found. However, semen quality and ovarian reserve are susceptible to triclosan exposure. Thus, future studies are still needed to better elucidate the associations between triclosan and infertility outcomes.

Fluoroquinolone antibiotics and organophosphate pesticides induce carbonylation on Eisenia fetida muscle proteins

Protein carbonylation is an irreversible oxidative modification that has been associated with a decrease in the quality and nutritional value of products of animal origin. Generally, the carbonylation is attributed to processes of slaughter, processing, and cold storage of products. However, in vitro studies have shown that fluoroquinolone and organophosphate pesticides residues at their maximum residue limits (MRL) can promote carbonylation of animal proteins. Though, this effect on in vivo conditions has not yet been evaluated. Thus, Eisenia fetida was chosen as a model to assay their oxidant effect. For this, adult earthworms were exposed to artificial soil contaminated with ciprofloxacin, danofloxacin, fenthion, and diazinon at three concentrations (0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 MRL) for 28 days. Then, these were purged and sacrificed to obtain the muscle region between the anus and preclitellum. The muscle samples were cold macerated to obtain muscle proteins, which were used for protein quantification, determination of carbonyl levels, and carbonyl protein profiles employing Bradford, Dot-blot, and Western blot assays, respectively. The results showed that at each concentration assayed, all pollutants induced significant carbonylation respect to control (p < 0.05). Additionally, mass spectrometry-based analysis (MALDI-TOF/TOF) identified actin as the protein most susceptible to carbonylation promoted by these substances. Therefore, these findings show for the first time the oxidant power of fluoroquinolones and organophosphates pesticides at MRLs concentrations on muscle proteins under in vivo conditions. Fact causes concern due to the homology of muscle proteins in eukaryotes, which allow to hypothesize that this effect could also be experienced by proteins from food-producing animals in the same way that observed in in vitro studies.

Peptidomics and proteomics data of oxidised peptides from in vitro gastrointestinal digestion of chicken breast exposed to chlorpyrifos

Chlorpyrifos (CPF) is an organophosphorus pesticide used in poultry to prevent and/or kill insects and such as preserving agents of poultry feed. Exposure continues to CPF can promote its accumulation at trace concentrations in animal tissue. The toxicological effects of these residues (carcinogenicity, genotoxicity, and neurological disorders) have been related to oxidative stress. Nevertheless, it is still unknown if these trace concentrations might promote oxidative stress in muscle proteins since chicken meat proteins are susceptible to undergo oxidation reactions. Moreover, protein oxidation has been related to a decrease in the nutritional value in of meat.

To investigate the oxidative effect of CPF on chicken breast proteins, peptidomics and proteomics analysis were used. For this, chicken breast samples were exposed to CPF and subjected to simulated gastrointestinal digestion. The identification of oxidized peptides from digested and undigested proteins were performed by LC MS/MS (nanoESI qQTOF). Prior to mass analyses undigested proteins were trypsinated. Data were analysed using MASCOT and ProteinPilot v 4.5 software. In this study, 90 and 107 oxidized peptides from digested proteins of control and exposed samples were identified, respectively. These peptides corresponding to 12 oxidized proteins. Meanwhile, 260 and 324 oxidized peptides from undigested proteins (control and exposed samples) were identified, which corresponding to 19 and 17 proteins, respectively. Collagen was protein more susceptible to oxidation promoted by chlorpyrifos in digested and undigested proteins. Identification of these oxidized proteins from simulated digestion provides an important insight about the impact of substances like certain veterinary drugs at trace concentrations on the nutritional value of chicken breast meat.