In Utero Exposure to Persistent Organic Pollutants and Childhood Lipid Levels

Abstract

Animal studies have shown that developmental exposures to polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) permanently affect blood/liver balance of lipids. No human study has evaluated associations between in utero exposures to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and later life lipid metabolism. In this pilot, maternal plasma levels of PBDEs (BDE-47, BDE-99, BDE-100, and BDE-153) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB-138, PCB-153, and PCB-180) were determined at delivery in participants of GESTation and Environment (GESTE) cohort. Total cholesterol (TCh), triglycerides (TG), low- and high-density lipoproteins (LDL-C and HDL-C), total lipids (TL), and PBDEs were determined in serum of 147 children at ages 6–7. General linear regression was used to estimate the relationship between maternal POPs and child lipid levels with adjustment for potential confounders, and adjustment for childhood POPs. In utero BDE-99 was associated with lower childhood levels of TG (p = 0.003), and non-significantly with HDL-C (p = 0.06) and TL (p = 0.07). Maternal PCB-138 was associated with lower childhood levels of TG (p = 0.04), LDL-C (p = 0.04), and TL (p = 0.02). Our data indicate that in utero exposures to POPs may be associated with long lasting decrease in circulating lipids in children, suggesting increased lipid accumulation in the liver, a mechanism involved in NAFLD development, consistent with previously reported animal data.

Prenatal Environmental Exposure to Persistent Organic Pollutants and Indices of Overweight and Cardiovascular Risk in Dutch Adolescents

“…This seems in contrast to the findings of a Spanish cohort including 219 fourteen-year-old children, where no association was found between prenatal PCB levels and levels of HDL-C [ 19 ]. In a cohort of 6–7-year-old children, no associations were found between maternal PCB levels and levels of HDL-C, either [ 26 ]. The latter study reported that maternal PCB-138 was associated with lower childhood levels of triglycerides, LDL-C, and total lipids.…”

“…To the best of our knowledge, no other studies have been performed on the effects of prenatal exposure to PBDEs and lipid hormone profile at adolescence and, therefore, there are no studies to compare our results with. In a Canadian cohort including 6–7-year-old children, Boutot et al reported that higher in utero BDE-99 exposure was associated with lower childhood levels of triglycerides and non-significantly with higher HDL-C and lower total lipids [ 26 ]. An explanation for the differences between the directions of the associations might be the differences in the age of children included in the study.…”

Mechanisms of Male Reproductive Toxicity of Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers

“…Similarly, a positive association was found between total PBDEs and gestation diabetes mellitus (GDM) in Tehran women (70 cases vs 70 controls) [100]. Another study on 147 mother-children pairs demonstrated that in utero BDE-99 was associated with lower childhood levels of triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein, and total lipids in children's blood at 6-7 years of age [101], suggesting long-lasting metabolic effects of earlylife exposures.…”

“…In the general population, PBDE concentrations in blood may reach the nM range [101,135,136], suggesting that in highly exposed individuals, PBDE and their metabolites may disrupt androgenic signaling by direct antagonistic interaction with AR. Additionally, changes in testosterone signaling may result from its decreased production and/or altered hypothalamic-pituitary control.…”

A Review of Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) Pollution in the Air: Where and How Much Are We Exposed to?

“…Concerning the health of future generations, studies on the association of serum PCB levels of pregnant women and pregnancy outcomes have shown a significant association with the neonatal thyroid hormone status [ 110 , 111 ]. The effects on infants might be due to in utero exposure [ 110 , 112 ] or breastmilk consumption [ 113 , 114 , 115 ].…”