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Short term air pollution exposure during pregnancy and associations with maternal immune markers.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Yount, CS; Scheible, K; Thurston, SW; Qiu, X; Ge, Y; Hopke, PK; Lin, Y; Miller, RK; Murphy, SK; Brunner, J; Barrett, E; O'Connor, TG ...
Published in: Environ Res
November 1, 2024

BACKGROUND: Air pollution exposure during pregnancy has been associated with numerous adverse pregnancy, birth, and child health outcomes. One proposed mechanism underlying these associations is maternal immune activation and dysregulation. We examined associations between PM2.5 and NO2 exposure during pregnancy and immune markers within immune function groups (TH1, TH2, TH17, Innate/Early Activation, Regulatory, Homeostatic, and Proinflammatory), and examined whether those associations changed across pregnancy. METHODS: In a pregnancy cohort study (n = 290) in Rochester, New York, we measured immune markers (using Luminex) in maternal plasma up to 3 times during pregnancy. We estimated ambient PM2.5 and NO2 concentrations at participants' home addresses using a spatial-temporal model. Using mixed effects models, we estimated changes in immune marker concentrations associated with interquartile range increases in PM2.5 (2.88 μg/m3) and NO2 (7.82 ppb) 0-6 days before blood collection, and assessed whether associations were different in early, mid, and late pregnancy. RESULTS: Increased NO2 concentrations were associated with higher maternal immune markers, with associations observed across TH1, TH2, TH17, Regulatory, and Homeostatic groups of immune markers. Furthermore, the largest increases in immune markers associated with each 7.82 ppb increase in NO2 concentration were in late pregnancy (e.g., IL-23 = 0.26 pg/ml, 95% CI = 0.07, 0.46) compared to early pregnancy (e.g., IL-23 = 0.08 pg/ml, 95% CI = -0.11, 0.26). CONCLUSIONS: Results were suggestive of NO2-related immune activation. Increases in effect sizes from early to mid to late pregnancy may be due to changes in immune function over the course of pregnancy. These findings provide a basis for immune activation as a mechanism for previously observed associations between air pollution exposure during pregnancy and reduced birthweight, fetal growth restriction, and pregnancy complications.

Duke Scholars

Published In

Environ Res

DOI

EISSN

1096-0953

Publication Date

November 1, 2024

Volume

260

Start / End Page

119639

Location

Netherlands

Related Subject Headings

  • Young Adult
  • Toxicology
  • Pregnancy
  • Particulate Matter
  • Nitrogen Dioxide
  • New York
  • Maternal Exposure
  • Humans
  • Female
  • Cohort Studies
 

Citation

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Yount, C. S., Scheible, K., Thurston, S. W., Qiu, X., Ge, Y., Hopke, P. K., … Rich, D. Q. (2024). Short term air pollution exposure during pregnancy and associations with maternal immune markers. Environ Res, 260, 119639. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2024.119639
Yount, C. S., K. Scheible, S. W. Thurston, X. Qiu, Y. Ge, P. K. Hopke, Y. Lin, et al. “Short term air pollution exposure during pregnancy and associations with maternal immune markers.Environ Res 260 (November 1, 2024): 119639. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2024.119639.
Yount CS, Scheible K, Thurston SW, Qiu X, Ge Y, Hopke PK, et al. Short term air pollution exposure during pregnancy and associations with maternal immune markers. Environ Res. 2024 Nov 1;260:119639.
Yount, C. S., et al. “Short term air pollution exposure during pregnancy and associations with maternal immune markers.Environ Res, vol. 260, Nov. 2024, p. 119639. Pubmed, doi:10.1016/j.envres.2024.119639.
Yount CS, Scheible K, Thurston SW, Qiu X, Ge Y, Hopke PK, Lin Y, Miller RK, Murphy SK, Brunner J, Barrett E, O’Connor TG, Zhang J, Rich DQ. Short term air pollution exposure during pregnancy and associations with maternal immune markers. Environ Res. 2024 Nov 1;260:119639.
Journal cover image

Published In

Environ Res

DOI

EISSN

1096-0953

Publication Date

November 1, 2024

Volume

260

Start / End Page

119639

Location

Netherlands

Related Subject Headings

  • Young Adult
  • Toxicology
  • Pregnancy
  • Particulate Matter
  • Nitrogen Dioxide
  • New York
  • Maternal Exposure
  • Humans
  • Female
  • Cohort Studies