Publication
Title
Neonatal exposure to environmental pollutants and placental mitochondrial DNA content : a multi-pollutant approach
Author
Abstract
Background: Placental mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) content can be indicative of oxidative damage to the placenta during fetal development and is responsive to external stressors. In utero exposure to environmental pollutants that may influence placental mtDNA needs further exploration. Objectives: We evaluated if placental mtDNA content is altered by environmental pollution in newborns and identified pollutants independently associated to alterations in placental mtDNA content. Methods: mtDNA content was measured in placental tissue of 233 newborns. Four perfluoroalkyl compounds and nine organochlorine compounds were quantified in cord blood plasma samples and six toxic metals in whole cord blood. We first applied a LASSO (least absolute shrinkage and selection operator) penalized regression model to identify independent associations between environmental pollutants and placental mtDNA content, without penalization of several covariates. Then adjusted estimates were obtained using an ordinary least squares (OLS) regression model evaluating the pollutants' association with placental mtDNA content, adjusted for several covariates. Results: Based on LASSO penalized regression, oxychlordane, p,p'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene, beta-hexachlorocyclohexane, perfluorononanoic acid, arsenic, cadmium and thallium were identified to be independently associated with placental mtDNA content. The OLS model showed a higher placental mtDNA content of 2.71% (95% CI: 0.3 to 5.2%; p = 0.03) and 1.41% (0.1 to 2.8%, p = 0.04) for a 25% concentration increase of respectively cord blood beta-hexachlorocyclohexane and arsenic. For a 25% concentration increase of cord blood thallium, a 4.88% lower placental mtDNA content (95% CI: -9.1 to -0.5%, p = 0.03) was observed. Conclusion: In a multi-pollutant approach, low fetal exposure levels of environmental organic and inorganic pollutants might compromise placental mitochondrial function as exemplified in this study by alterations in mtDNA content.
Language
English
Source (journal)
Environment international. - Oxford
Publication
Oxford : 2017
ISSN
0160-4120
DOI
10.1016/J.ENVINT.2017.05.022
Volume/pages
106 (2017) , p. 60-68
ISI
000406175300008
Pubmed ID
28600986
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
Full text (publisher's version - intranet only)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Project info
ENVIRONAGE: Unravelling environmental exposures in the core axis of ageing
Publication type
Subject
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 05.09.2017
Last edited 09.10.2023
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