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Association of Maternal Air Pollution Exposure and Infant Lung Function Is Modified by Genetic Propensity to

Dwan Vilcins1, Wen Ray Lee1, Cindy Pham2,3

  • 1Child Health Research Centre, The University of Queensland, South Brisbane, QLD 4101, Australia.

Children (Basel, Switzerland)
|August 29, 2024
PubMed

Insights

Prenatal exposure to nitrogen dioxide (NO2) air pollution was linked to reduced infant lung function in babies with a genetic predisposition to oxidative stress (OS). This study highlights a specific genetic risk factor for air pollution

Area of Science:

  • Environmental Health
  • Pediatric Respiratory Medicine
  • Genetics and Epigenetics

Background:

  • Air pollution poses significant risks to respiratory health, particularly in developing fetuses.
  • Children are uniquely vulnerable to prenatal air pollution exposure due to ongoing organ development.
  • Oxidative stress (OS) and inflammation are key biological pathways affected by air pollution.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of maternal exposure to ambient air pollution during pregnancy on infant oxidative stress, inflammation, and lung function.
  • To determine if genetic predisposition to oxidative stress modifies the effects of prenatal air pollution on infant respiratory health.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized data from the Barwon Infant Study (n=314) to assess prenatal exposure to NO2 and PM2.5.
  • Measured infant lung function at 4 weeks using multiple-breath washout.
  • Assessed prenatal biomarkers of OS and inflammation (GlycA, OS biomarkers) and calculated a genetic pathway score for OS (gPFSox).

Main Results:

  • No association was found between maternal air pollution exposure and infant lung function, or prenatal OS/inflammation markers.
  • Infants with a genetic propensity for OS exposed prenatally to NO2 showed significantly lower functional residual capacity (FRC) and higher lung clearance index (LCI).

Conclusions:

  • Prenatal exposure to ambient nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is associated with impaired infant lung function (lower FRC, higher LCI) in those with a genetic susceptibility to oxidative stress.
  • Maternal and cord blood inflammation and OS biomarkers were not linked to prenatal air pollution exposure.
Abstract

Keywords:
air pollutantschildren’s healthenvironmental healthlung functionnitrogen dioxideoxidative stress

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