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Maternal exposure to particulate matter during pregnancy and offspring liver function
Ziyi Zhou1, Bin Sun2, Yudiyang Ma1
1Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Environment and Health, and State Key Laboratory of Environmental Health (Incubating), School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, No.13 Hangkong Road, Wuhan, 430030, China; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China.
Maternal exposure to particulate matter (PM) during pregnancy, especially the second trimester, is linked to higher liver enzymes alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) in young children. This suggests a sensitive period for fetal liver development.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Pediatric Toxicology
- Reproductive Epidemiology
Background:
- Air pollution, specifically particulate matter (PM), is increasingly recognized for its systemic health effects.
- Evidence linking early-life PM exposure to hepatic dysfunction in children is limited.
- Hepatic enzymes like alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) are key indicators of liver health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between maternal exposure to various PM sizes (PM1, PM2.5, PM10) and offspring liver function.
- To identify potential sensitive windows of exposure during pregnancy.
- To quantify the relationship between PM exposure and serum ALT/AST levels in 1-2-year-old children.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the Fujian Birth Cohort Study (FJBCS) involving 1046 mother-offspring pairs.
- Calculated maternal average PM exposures for the entire gestation and individual trimesters.
- Employed linear regression, restricted cubic spline (RCS), and distributed lag models (DLMs) to analyze exposure-response and temporal associations.
Main Results:
- Positive associations were observed between maternal PM exposure and offspring ALT and AST levels throughout pregnancy and specifically in the second trimester.
- An interquartile range increase in second-trimester PM1, PM2.5, and PM10 exposure correlated with significant increases in both ALT and AST levels.
- DLM analyses confirmed the second trimester as the period with the most pronounced associations.
Conclusions:
- Maternal exposure to particulate matter during pregnancy is associated with elevated offspring liver enzyme levels (ALT and AST).
- The second trimester of pregnancy appears to be a critical sensitive period for these effects.
- Findings highlight the potential impact of air pollution on early-life liver development and function.
