Nutrition Innovation Centre for Food and Health, Ulster University, Coleraine, County Londonderry, BT52 1SA, UK.
School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester, 601 Elmwood Avenue, Rochester, NY, 14642, USA.
Environ Res. 2022 Mar;204(Pt A):112003. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.112003. Epub 2021 Sep 4.
Maternal fish consumption increases infant methylmercury (MeHg) exposure and polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) concentrations. The n-3 PUFA are regulators of inflammation while MeHg may impact the cord cytokine profile and, subsequently, contribute to immune mediated outcomes. This study aimed to investigate associations between infant MeHg exposure and cord cytokine concentrations while adjusting for cord PUFA.
We studied participants in the Seychelles Child Development Study (SCDS) Nutrition Cohort 2 (NC2), a large birth cohort in a high fish-eating population. Whole blood MeHg, serum PUFA and serum cytokine concentrations (IFN-γ, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-12p70, TNF-α, IL-4, IL-10, IL-13, IL-6 and IL-8) were measured in cord blood collected at delivery (n = 878). Linear regression examined associations between infant MeHg exposure and cord cytokines concentrations, with and without adjustment for cord PUFA. An interaction model examined cord MeHg, cytokines and tertiles of the n-6:n-3 ratio (low/medium/high).
There was no overall association between cord MeHg (34.08 ± 19.98 μg/L) and cytokine concentrations, with or without adjustment for PUFA. Increased total n-3 PUFA (DHA, EPA and ALA) was significantly associated with lower IL-10 (β = -0.667; p = 0.007) and lower total Th2 (IL-4, IL-10 and IL-13) (β = -0.715; p = 0.036). In the interaction model, MeHg and IL-1β was positive and significantly different from zero in the lowest n-6:n-3 ratio tertile (β = 0.002, p = 0.03).
Methylmercury exposure from fish consumption does not appear to impact markers of inflammation in cord blood. The association of cord n-3 PUFA with lower IL-10 and total Th2 cytokines suggests that they may have a beneficial influence on the regulation of the inflammatory milieu. These findings are important for public health advice and deserve to be investigated in follow up studies.
母体鱼类消费会增加婴儿体内的甲基汞（MeHg）暴露和多不饱和脂肪酸（PUFA）浓度。n-3PUFA 是炎症的调节剂，而 MeHg 可能会影响脐带细胞因子谱，并随后促进免疫介导的结果。本研究旨在调查婴儿 MeHg 暴露与脐带细胞因子浓度之间的关联，同时调整脐带 PUFA。
我们研究了塞舌尔儿童发展研究（SCDS）营养队列 2（NC2）中的参与者，这是一个在高鱼类消费人群中的大型出生队列。在分娩时采集脐带血，检测全血 MeHg、血清 PUFA 和血清细胞因子浓度（IFN-γ、IL-1β、IL-2、IL-12p70、TNF-α、IL-4、IL-10、IL-13、IL-6 和 IL-8）（n=878）。线性回归分析了婴儿 MeHg 暴露与脐带细胞因子浓度之间的关联，同时调整了脐带 PUFA。交互模型检测了脐带 MeHg、细胞因子和 n-6:n-3 比值的三分位数（低/中/高）。
脐带 MeHg（34.08±19.98μg/L）与细胞因子浓度之间没有总体关联，无论是否调整 PUFA。总 n-3PUFA（DHA、EPA 和 ALA）的增加与 IL-10 降低（β=-0.667；p=0.007）和总 Th2 降低（IL-4、IL-10 和 IL-13）（β=-0.715；p=0.036）显著相关。在交互模型中，MeHg 和 IL-1β 在 n-6:n-3 比值最低三分位数时呈正相关且显著不同于零（β=0.002，p=0.03）。
来自鱼类消费的甲基汞暴露似乎不会影响脐带血中炎症标志物。脐带 n-3PUFA 与较低的 IL-10 和总 Th2 细胞因子相关，表明它们可能对炎症环境的调节产生有益影响。这些发现对公共卫生建议很重要，值得在后续研究中进一步探讨。
