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Cord Blood Adductomic Profiling Provides Preliminary Insights on Perinatal Smoking Exposure: A Pilot Analysis

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Background: Maternal smoking during pregnancy remains a significant public health concern. The molecular mechanisms underlying smoking-induced maternal-fetal impact remain incompletely understood. The objective of this study is to identify adductomic signatures of oxidant stress in cord blood associated with tobacco exposure during pregnancy. Methods: Through a prospective longitudinal cohort of mother-infant dyads enrolled at a single birth center (Chicago, IL) from 2008-2021, we linked prenatal maternal smoking status data to an existent database of 105 addition products (adducts) measured in cord blood plasma. Principal component analysis (PCA) and volcano plot analysis identified differential adduct profiles according to maternal smoking status using PERMANOVA (p≤0.05). Results: Among 158 births included in the analysis, 6 women reported currently smoking, 26 were former smokers, and 126 identified as never smokers. PCA revealed significant separation between current smokers and both other groups (p≤0.002), with R² effect sizes of 0.026 for current vs never smokers and 0.115 for current vs former smokers. Among 56 known (annotated) adducts of oxidant stress, 33 were significantly upregu-lated in current versus never smokers, and 34 were upregulated in current versus former smokers. Maternal chronic hypertension, but not preeclampsia or other covariates, was associated with current smoking status (P=0.001). Conclusions: Maternal smoking during pregnancy is associated with distinct cord blood adductomic signatures of oxidant stress. The persistence of these changes in current but not former smokers suggests potential reversibility upon smoking cessation.

Source: Antioxidants

DOI: 10.3390/antiox15091078