Maternal Exposure to Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals: Analysis of Their Impact on Infant Gut Microbiota Composition
Mirco Vacca,
Francesco Maria Calabrese,
Federica Loperfido,
Beatrice Maccarini,
Rosa Maria Cerbo,
Eduardo Sommella,
Emanuela Salviati,
Luana Voto,
Maria De Angelis,
Gabriele Ceccarelli,
Ilaria Di Napoli,
Benedetta Raspini,
Debora Porri,
Elisa Civardi,
Francesca Garofoli,
Pietro Campiglia,
Hellas Cena,
Rachele De Giuseppe
Affiliations
Mirco Vacca
Department of Soil, Plant and Food Science, University of Bari Aldo Moro, 70126 Bari, Italy
Francesco Maria Calabrese
Department of Soil, Plant and Food Science, University of Bari Aldo Moro, 70126 Bari, Italy
Federica Loperfido
Laboratory of Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition, Department of Public Health, Experimental and Forensic Medicine, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
Beatrice Maccarini
Laboratory of Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition, Department of Public Health, Experimental and Forensic Medicine, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
Rosa Maria Cerbo
Neonatal Unit and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, 27100 Pavia, Italy
Eduardo Sommella
Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, 84084 Fisciano, Italy
Emanuela Salviati
Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, 84084 Fisciano, Italy
Luana Voto
Laboratory of Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition, Department of Public Health, Experimental and Forensic Medicine, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
Maria De Angelis
Department of Soil, Plant and Food Science, University of Bari Aldo Moro, 70126 Bari, Italy
Gabriele Ceccarelli
Human Anatomy Unit, Department of Public Health, Experimental and Forensic Medicine, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
Ilaria Di Napoli
Laboratory of Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition, Department of Public Health, Experimental and Forensic Medicine, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
Benedetta Raspini
Laboratory of Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition, Department of Public Health, Experimental and Forensic Medicine, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
Debora Porri
Laboratory of Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition, Department of Public Health, Experimental and Forensic Medicine, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
Elisa Civardi
Neonatal Unit and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, 27100 Pavia, Italy
Francesca Garofoli
Neonatal Unit and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, 27100 Pavia, Italy
Pietro Campiglia
Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, 84084 Fisciano, Italy
Hellas Cena
Laboratory of Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition, Department of Public Health, Experimental and Forensic Medicine, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
Rachele De Giuseppe
Laboratory of Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition, Department of Public Health, Experimental and Forensic Medicine, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
Endocrine disruptors (EDCs) are chemicals that interfere with the endocrine system. EDC exposure may contribute to the development of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases by impacting the composition of an infant’s gut microbiota during the first 1000 days of life. To explore the relationship between maternal urinary levels of Bisphenol-A and phthalates (UHPLC-MS/MS), and the composition of the infant gut microbiota (16S rDNA) at age 12 months (T3) and, retrospectively, at birth (T0), 1 month (T1), and 6 months (T2), stool samples from 20 infants breastfed at least once a day were analyzed. Metataxonomic bacteria relative abundances were correlated with EDC values. Based on median Bisphenol-A levels, infants were assigned to the over-exposed group (O, n = 8) and the low-exposed group (B, n = 12). The B-group exhibited higher gut colonization of the Ruminococcus torques group genus and the O-group showed higher abundances of Erysipelatoclostridium and Bifidobacterium breve. Additionally, infants were stratified as high-risk (HR, n = 12) or low-risk (LR, n = 8) exposure to phthalates, based on the presence of at least three phthalates with concentrations exceeding the cohort median values; no differences were observed in gut microbiota composition. A retrospective analysis of gut microbiota (T0–T2) revealed a disparity in β-diversity between the O-group and the B-group. Considering T0–T3, the Linear Discriminant Effect Size indicated differences in certain microbes between the O-group vs. the B-group and the HR-group vs. the LR-group. Our findings support the potential role of microbial communities as biomarkers for high EDC exposure levels. Nevertheless, further investigations are required to deeply investigate this issue.
