Liu Yunyun, Wu Mingyang, Liu Bingqing, Song Lulu, Bi Jianing, Wang Lulin, Upadhyaya Khatiwada Shikha, Chen Kai, Liu Qing, Xiong Chao, Li Yuanyuan, Xia Wei, Xu Shunqing, Wang Youjie, Zhou Aifen
Department of Maternal and Child Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China; Key Laboratory of Environment and Health, Ministry of Education & Ministry of Environmental Protection, State Key Laboratory of Environmental Health (Incubation), School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
Wuhan Children's Hospital (Wuhan Maternal and Child Healthcare Hospital), Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
Environ Int. 2020 Oct;143:105863. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2020.105863. Epub 2020 Jul 16.
Rare earth elements (REE) have been widely used in industry and agriculture. Mitochondria are susceptible to environmental exposure and the change of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) content is a proxy indicator of mitochondrial response to damage. However, no study has explored the associations between prenatal repeated REE exposure and newborn mtDNA content.
We aimed to investigate the trimester-specific associations between prenatal REE exposure and newborn mtDNA content.
A total of 587 mother-newborn pairs were recruited from Wuhan Children's Hospital between November 2013 and March 2015 in Wuhan, China. Urinary concentrations of REE collected during 3 trimesters were measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was used to measure relative cord blood mtDNA content. We evaluated the trimester-specific associations between prenatal REE exposure and relative cord blood mtDNA content with multiple informant models. False discovery rate (FDR) was used to correct for multiple testing.
After adjustment for potential confounders, prenatal exposure to REE [gadolinium (Gd), dysprosium (Dy), erbium (Er), praseodymium (Pr)] during the third trimester were positively related to cord blood mtDNA content, and the positive associations with cord blood mtDNA content were still observed in Dy, Er, and Pr after FDR correction.
This prospective study demonstrated that maternal REE exposure during the third trimester was associated with the increased newborn mtDNA content, and the third trimester might be a potential window for sensitivity of newborn mtDNA content to REE exposure. The results might provide evidence of the potential health effects of environmental REE exposure.
稀土元素（REE）已在工农业中广泛使用。线粒体易受环境暴露影响，线粒体DNA（mtDNA）含量的变化是线粒体对损伤反应的一个替代指标。然而，尚无研究探讨产前反复暴露于REE与新生儿mtDNA含量之间的关联。
我们旨在研究产前REE暴露与新生儿mtDNA含量在孕期各阶段的特异性关联。
2013年11月至2015年3月期间，在中国武汉的武汉儿童医院招募了587对母婴。采用电感耦合等离子体质谱法（ICP-MS）测定孕期三个阶段收集的尿液中REE浓度。采用定量实时聚合酶链反应（qPCR）测定脐血mtDNA相对含量。我们使用多因素模型评估产前REE暴露与脐血mtDNA相对含量在孕期各阶段的特异性关联。采用错误发现率（FDR）校正多重检验。
在调整潜在混杂因素后，孕期第三个阶段产前暴露于REE[钆（Gd）、镝（Dy）、铒（Er）、镨（Pr）]与脐血mtDNA含量呈正相关，经FDR校正后，Dy、Er和Pr与脐血mtDNA含量仍呈正相关。
这项前瞻性研究表明，孕期第三个阶段母亲暴露于REE与新生儿mtDNA含量增加有关，第三个阶段可能是新生儿mtDNA含量对REE暴露敏感的潜在窗口期。这些结果可能为环境中REE暴露的潜在健康影响提供证据。
