scholarly journals In Utero Exposure to Heavy Metals and Trace Elements and Childhood Blood Pressure in a U.S. Urban, Low-Income, Minority Birth Cohort

2021 ◽  
Vol 129 (6) ◽  
pp. 067005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mingyu Zhang ◽  
Tiange Liu ◽  
Guoying Wang ◽  
Jessie P. Buckley ◽  
Eliseo Guallar ◽  
...  
Author(s):  
Chihiro Miyashita ◽  
Yasuaki Saijo ◽  
Yoshiya Ito ◽  
Atsuko Ikeda-Araki ◽  
Sachiko Itoh ◽  
...  

Abdominal congenital malformations are responsible for early mortality, inadequate nutrient intake, and infant biological dysfunction. Exposure to metallic elements in utero is reported to be toxic and negatively impacts ontogeny. However, no prior study has sufficiently evaluated the effects of exposure to metallic elements in utero on abdominal congenital malformations. The aim of the present study was to evaluate associations between metallic elements detected in maternal blood during pregnancy and congenital abdominal malformations. Data from participants in the Japan Environment and Children’s Study was used in the present study, and contained information on singleton and live birth infants without congenital abnormalities (control: n = 89,134) and abdominal malformations (case: n = 139). Heavy metals such as mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and trace elements of manganese (Mn) and selenium (Se) were detected in maternal serum samples during mid- and late-gestation. Infant congenital abnormalities were identified from delivery records at birth or one month after birth by medical doctors. In a multivariate analysis adjusted to account for potential confounders, quartiles of heavy metals and trace elements present in maternal blood were not statistically correlated to the prevalence of abdominal congenital malformations at birth. This study is the first to reveal the absence of significant associations between exposure levels to maternal heavy metals and trace elements in utero and the prevalence of abdominal congenital malformations in a large cohort of the Japanese population. Further studies are necessary to investigate the impact of exposure to heavy metals and trace elements via maternal blood in offspring after birth.


Circulation ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 143 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mingyu Zhang ◽  
Tiange Liu ◽  
Guoying Wang ◽  
Jessie P Buckley ◽  
Eliseo Guallar ◽  
...  

Background: In utero exposure to metals lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and mercury (Hg) may be associated with higher childhood systolic blood pressure (SBP), while trace elements manganese (Mn) and selenium (Se) may have protective, antioxidant effects that modify metal-SBP associations. No study has examined how in utero co-exposure to these metals affect offspring SBP. Objectives: To examine the individual and joint effects of in utero exposure to Cd, Pb, Hg, Mn, and Se on offspring SBP. Methods: We used data from the Boston Birth Cohort (enrolled 2002-2013). We measured metals in maternal red blood cells collected 24-72 hours after delivery. We calculated child age-, sex-, and height-specific SBP percentile per 2017 American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines. We used linear regression models to estimate associations of each metal, and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) to examine metal co-exposures, with child SBP between 3 to 15 years of age. Results: Our analytic sample comprised 1194 mother-child pairs (61% Black, 20% Hispanic). Hg and Pb were not associated with child SBP. Se and Mn were inversely associated with child SBP: each log2(Se) and log2(Mn) increment was associated with a 6.23 (95% CI: 0.96-11.51) and a 2.62 (95% CI: 0.04-5.20) percentile lower child SBP, respectively. BKMR models showed similar results ( Panel A ). While Cd was not overall associated with child SBP, there was an antagonistic interaction between Cd and Mn (P-interaction = 0.036): the association of Mn and lower child SBP was stronger with higher levels of Cd ( Panel B ). Consistent with this finding, in utero exposure to cigarette smoke (a major source of Cd) modified the association of Mn and child SBP: among children born mothers who smoked cigarette in pregnancy, each log2(Mn) increment was associated with a 10.09 (95% CI: 2.15-18.03) percentile lower SBP ( Panel C ). Conclusion: Optimizing in utero Se levels, as well as Mn levels in pregnant women who had high Cd or smoked during pregnancy, may protect offspring from developing high BP during childhood.


2013 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 1934578X1300800 ◽  
Author(s):  
Faez A. E. Mohammed ◽  
Rahma Bchitou ◽  
Mohamed Boulmane ◽  
Ahmed Bouhaouss ◽  
Dominique Guillaume

The transfer of heavy metals and trace elements from argan forest soil into the wood, leaves, almonds, and argan oil was studied. Analyzed metals were: chromium, cadmium, copper, zinc, lead, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and magnesium. Correlations linking different behaviors of the studied heavy metals and trace elements observed by multidimensional analysis were attributed to partial-spatial variations. Whereas the RV-coefficient of wood, leaf, almond and oil groups was high, the soil group correlated poorly with the other groups.


2018 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 148-159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhengmeng Ye ◽  
Xi Lu ◽  
Yi Deng ◽  
Xinquan Wang ◽  
Shuo Zheng ◽  
...  

Background/Aims: Adverse environment in utero can modulate adult phenotypes including blood pressure. Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exposure in utero causes hypertension in the offspring, but the exact mechanisms are not clear. Renal dopamine D1 receptor (D1R), regulated by G protein-coupled receptor kinase type 4 (GRK4), plays an important role in the regulation of renal sodium transport and blood pressure. In this present study, we determined if renal D1R dysfunction is involved in PM2.5–induced hypertension in the offspring. Methods: Pregnant Sprague–Dawley rats were given an oropharyngeal drip of PM2.5 (1.0 mg/kg) at gestation day 8, 10, and 12. The blood pressure, 24-hour sodium excretion, and urine volume were measured in the offspring. The expression levels of GRK4 and D1R were determined by immunoblotting. The phosphorylation of D1R was investigated using immunoprecipitation. Plasma malondialdehyde and superoxide dismutase levels were also measured in the offspring. Results: As compared with saline-treated dams, offspring of PM2.5-treated dams had increased blood pressure, impaired sodium excretion, and reduced D1R-mediated natriuresis and diuresis, accompanied by decreased renal D1R expression and GRK4 expression. The impaired renal D1R function and increased GRK4 expression could be caused by increased reactive oxidative stress (ROS) induced by PM2.5 exposure. Administration of tempol, a redox-cycling nitroxide, for 4 weeks in the offspring of PM2.5-treated dam normalized the decreased renal D1R expression and increased renal D1R phosphorylation and GRK4 expression. Furthermore, tempol normalized the increased renal expression of c-Myc, a transcription factor that regulates GRK4 expression. Conclusions: In utero exposure to PM2.5 increases ROS and GRK4 expression, impairs D1R-mediated sodium excretion, and increases blood pressure in the offspring. These studies suggest that normalization of D1R function may be a target for the prevention and treatment of the hypertension in offspring of mothers exposed to PM2.5 during pregnancy.


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