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Interactions between Environmental Exposures and the Microbiome: Implications for Fetal Programming.

Sohini Banerjee¹, Melissa A Suter¹, Kjersti M Aagaard¹

¹Baylor College of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and Departments of Molecular & Human Genetics, Molecular & Cell Biology, and Molecular Physiology & Biophysics, 1 Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX 77030.

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Summary

Environmental exposures during pregnancy can alter fetal development by changing the epigenome and microbiome. This review examines cadmium and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

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Area of Science:

Environmental Health
Developmental Biology
Microbiome Research

Background:

Population health data show environmental exposures in pregnancy impact maternal and neonatal outcomes.
Research indicates these exposures can alter fetal programming via epigenetic changes (DNA methylation, histone modifications).
Environmental chemicals can be biotransformed by microbes, and exposures can alter microbiome composition and function.

Purpose of the Study:

To review how environmental exposures alter the maternal and fetal/infant microbiome.
To examine the direct and indirect effects of these microbiome alterations on fetal programming.
To highlight specific exposures like cadmium (Cd) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their perinatal impacts.

Main Methods:

Review of existing animal model research and epidemiological studies.
Analysis of literature on environmental chemical effects on epigenetics and the microbiome.
Focus on specific chemical exposures: cadmium and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

Main Results:

Environmental exposures can induce stable epigenetic changes in the developing fetus and infant.
Specific exposures, such as cadmium and PAHs, affect both fetal development and the perinatal microbiome.
Alterations in the maternal and/or fetal/infant microbiome are linked to altered fetal programming.

Conclusions:

Environmental exposures during pregnancy pose risks to fetal programming through epigenetic and microbiome modifications.
Understanding these mechanisms is crucial for maternal and child health, especially in contexts like natural disasters.
Further research is needed to fully elucidate the complex interactions between environmental chemicals, the microbiome, and fetal development.