Ambient PM2.5, inflammation, and prostaglandin synthesis: Evidence from a pregnancy cohort in Puerto Rico
Year: 2023
Type: conference-abstract
Abstract: BACKGROUND AND AIM: Prostaglandin synthesis and production is an important part of normal physiology during pregnancy. PGF2 is a potent vasoconstrictor and regulates uterine activation protein expression, while Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) is involved in promoting labor. Both are also downstream products of the arachidonic acid inflammatory pathway and are byproducts of the arachidonic acid cascade, resulting from cell membrane injury. While PM2.5 is known to impact health through systemic inflammation and has been associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes, how and to what extent it perturbs prostaglandin synthesis during pregnancy is unclear. METHOD: We used linear models and generalized estimating equations to investigate associations between PM2.5 and maternal levels of PGE2, PGF2-alpha and arachidonic acid (AA) in a cohort of 1,117 pregnant women living in Puerto Rico. Participant-specific 30-day moving average PM2.5 exposures were estimated using inverse distance weighting from Air Quality System monitors. Biomeasures were analyzed in blood collected at study visits. Models were adjusted for gestational age at blood draw, parity, adverse pregnancy history, age, race, education, employment status, income, marital status, exercise, pre-pregnancy body mass index, and seasonality. RESULTS: 30-day moving average PM2.5 exposure was 9.1ug/m3. Mean PGF2-alpha levels were 3.1, 3.1, and 3.9ng/mg, respectively, while mean AA level was 13.8umol/L and mean PGE2 level was 3. nmol/L. A 10 ug/m3 increase in the 30-day moving average PM2.5 exposure was associated with an increase in AA of 33.8% (95% CI:4.9,70.6). The same exposure was associated with an increase in PGE2 of 53.6% (95% CI:14.7,105.6) and a decrease in PGF2-alpha of 14.7% (95% CI:-25.5,-2.3). Statistically significant dose response relationships were observed. Mediation of the effect of PGE2 or PGF2a was not identified through AA. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that ambient PM2.5 is associated with elevated biomarkers of cell membrane injury and inflammation, as well as perturbed prostaglandin synthesis during pregnancy.
Source: ISEE Conference Abstracts
Language: English
Subfield: Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4390965537