Qin Ning, Sheng Yonghong, Shao Yantao, Liao Qian, Huang Dongping, Li Juanhua, Li Jiemei, Liu Hongxiu, Peng Yang, Qiu Xiaoqiang, Li Han
Department of Hygiene Chemistry, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, China; Guangxi Key Laboratory of Environment and Health Research, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, China.
Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, China.
Ecotoxicol Environ Saf. 2025 Mar 1;292:117977. doi: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2025.117977. Epub 2025 Mar 5.
Phthalates are endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) ubiquitously present in the environment. There are limited studies on the impact of phthalate exposure during the gestational period on neonatal telomere length.
The aim of this study is to investigate the correlation between maternal serum phthalate concentrations in early pregnancy and neonatal telomere length and whether this correlation exhibits sex-specificity.
Between September 2015 and April 2018, 474 pregnant women were selected from the Guangxi Zhuang Birth Cohort (GZBC). Maternal serum samples from early pregnancy were measured for levels of five phthalates and four phthalate metabolites. Umbilical cord blood samples were collected to measure telomere length. The correlations between prenatal phthalate exposure and infant telomere length were assessed using multiple linear regression, Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR), quantile g-computation (qg-comp), and restricted cubic spline (RCS) models.
Multiple linear regression analyses revealed that per 2.7-fold increase in the concentration of butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP) and mono-ethyl phthalate (MEP), neonatal telomere length decreased by 2.66 % (95 % CI: -5.20 %, -0.05 %) and 3.43 % (95 % CI: -6.46 %, -0.30 %), respectively. Conversely, per 2.7-fold increase in di-butyl phthalate (DBP) concentration corresponded to a 3.01 % (95 % CI: 0.19 %, 5.91 %) increase in neonatal telomere length. Sex-stratified analyses demonstrated that BBP (percent change: -3.60 %; 95 % CI: -6.91 %, -0.18 %); mono-butyl phthalate (MBP) (percent change: -4.13 %; 95 % CI: -7.14 %, -1.01 %) and MEP (percent change: -7.66 %, 95 % CI: -11.53 %, -3.62 %) were inversely associated with neonatal telomere length in female infants only. Neonatal sex significantly modified the association between MEP exposure and neonatal telomere length (P-value for interaction = 0.018). Phthalate mixture was inversely associated with neonatal telomere length in female infants but not in male infants in qg-comp and BKMR models.
Our study suggests that maternal exposure to phthalates is linked to shorter telomere length in neonates, especially in female infants.
邻苯二甲酸盐是环境中普遍存在的内分泌干扰化学物质（EDC）。关于孕期邻苯二甲酸盐暴露对新生儿端粒长度影响的研究有限。
本研究旨在探讨孕早期母体血清邻苯二甲酸盐浓度与新生儿端粒长度之间的相关性，以及这种相关性是否存在性别特异性。
2015年9月至2018年4月期间，从广西壮族出生队列（GZBC）中选取474名孕妇。测定孕早期母体血清样本中五种邻苯二甲酸盐和四种邻苯二甲酸酯代谢物的水平。采集脐带血样本以测量端粒长度。使用多元线性回归、贝叶斯核机器回归（BKMR）、分位数g计算（qg-comp）和受限立方样条（RCS）模型评估产前邻苯二甲酸盐暴露与婴儿端粒长度之间的相关性。
多元线性回归分析显示，邻苯二甲酸丁苄酯（BBP）和邻苯二甲酸单乙酯（MEP）浓度每增加2.7倍，新生儿端粒长度分别降低2.66%（95%CI：-5.20%，-0.05%）和3.43%（95%CI：-6.46%，-0.30%）。相反，邻苯二甲酸二丁酯（DBP）浓度每增加2.7倍，新生儿端粒长度相应增加3.01%（95%CI：0.19%，5.91%）。按性别分层分析表明，BBP（变化百分比：-3.60%；95%CI：-6.91%，-0.18%）；邻苯二甲酸单丁酯（MBP）（变化百分比：-4.13%；95%CI：-7.14%，-1.01%）和MEP（变化百分比：-7.66%，95%CI：-11.53%，-3.62%）仅与女婴的新生儿端粒长度呈负相关。新生儿性别显著改变了MEP暴露与新生儿端粒长度之间的关联（交互作用P值 = 0.018）。在qg-comp和BKMR模型中，邻苯二甲酸酯混合物与女婴的新生儿端粒长度呈负相关，但与男婴无关。
我们的研究表明，母体暴露于邻苯二甲酸盐与新生儿端粒长度缩短有关，尤其是女婴。
