Liu Yunyun, Song Lulu, Wu Mingyang, Bi Jianing, Wang Lulin, Liu Qing, Xiong Chao, Cao Zhongqiang, Xu Shunqing, Wang Youjie
Department of Maternal and Child Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Hangkong Road 13, Wuhan, 430030, 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.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2023 Mar;30(13):38751-38760. doi: 10.1007/s11356-022-24958-7. Epub 2022 Dec 31.
Telomere length (TL) is considered a marker of biological aging and lifetime health, and some epidemiological studies report that the environmental exposures may influence TL at birth. We aimed to investigate the associations between prenatal rare earth elements (REE) exposure and newborn TL. A total of 587 mother-newborn pairs were recruited during 2013 to 2015 in Wuhan, China. Maternal urinary concentrations of REE collected during three trimesters were measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to measure relative cord blood TL. The trimester-specific associations between prenatal REE exposure and cord blood TL were evaluated using multiple informant models. Weighted quantile sum regression was used to estimate the mixture effect of urinary REE on cord blood TL. After adjustment for potential confounders, per doubling of urinary REE (Dy, Yb, Pr, Nd, and Tm) concentrations (μg/g creatinine) during the second trimester was respectively associated with 1.94% (95% CI 0.19%, 3.72%), 2.10% (95% CI 0.31%, 3.92%), 2.11% (95% CI 0.35%, 3.89%), 2.08% (95% CI 0.01%, 4.20%), and 1.38% (95% CI 0.09%, 2.70%) increase in cord blood TL. Furthermore, exposure to the mixture of REE during the second trimester was also significantly associated with increased cord blood TL (percent change 1.20%, 95% CI 0.30%, 2.11%). However, these associations were not statistically significant in the first and third trimesters. This study provides new evidence on the potential effect of prenatal REE exposure on the initial (newborn) setting of offspring's telomere biology. Further epidemiological studies are warranted to confirm our findings.
端粒长度(TL)被视为生物衰老和终生健康的一个标志,一些流行病学研究报告称,环境暴露可能会影响出生时的端粒长度。我们旨在调查产前稀土元素(REE)暴露与新生儿端粒长度之间的关联。2013年至2015年期间,在中国武汉共招募了587对母婴。采用电感耦合等离子体质谱法测量孕期三个阶段收集的母体尿液中稀土元素的浓度。运用定量实时聚合酶链反应来测量相对脐血端粒长度。使用多因素模型评估产前稀土元素暴露与脐血端粒长度之间特定孕期的关联。采用加权分位数和回归来估计尿液中稀土元素对脐血端粒长度的混合效应。在对潜在混杂因素进行调整后,孕中期尿液中稀土元素(镝、镱、镨、钕和铥)浓度(微克/克肌酐)每增加一倍,分别与脐血端粒长度增加1.94%(95%置信区间0.19%,3.72%)、2.10%(95%置信区间0.31%,3.92%)、2.11%(95%置信区间0.35%,3.89%)、2.08%(95%置信区间0.01%,4.20%)和1.38%(95%置信区间0.09%,2.70%)相关。此外,孕中期暴露于稀土元素混合物也与脐血端粒长度增加显著相关(变化百分比1.20%,95%置信区间0.30%,2.11%)。然而,这些关联在孕早期和孕晚期无统计学意义。本研究为产前稀土元素暴露对后代端粒生物学初始(新生儿)状态的潜在影响提供了新证据。有必要开展进一步的流行病学研究来证实我们的发现。