Associations between maternal serum neonicotinoid pesticide exposure during pregnancy and newborn telomere length: Effect modification by sampling season

Changhui Mu; Mengrui Lin; Yantao Shao; Qian Liao; Jun Liang; Chuanxiang Yu; Xiaolin Wu; Manlin Chen; Ying Tang; Lihong Zhou; Xiaoqiang Qiu; Dongxiang Pan; Dongping Huang

Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety (Mar 2024)

Associations between maternal serum neonicotinoid pesticide exposure during pregnancy and newborn telomere length: Effect modification by sampling season

Changhui Mu,
Mengrui Lin,
Yantao Shao,
Qian Liao,
Jun Liang,
Chuanxiang Yu,
Xiaolin Wu,
Manlin Chen,
Ying Tang,
Lihong Zhou,
Xiaoqiang Qiu,
Dongxiang Pan,
Dongping Huang

Affiliations

Changhui Mu: Department of Sanitary Chemistry, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, China
Mengrui Lin: Department of Sanitary Chemistry, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, China
Yantao Shao: Department of Medical and Health Management, Logistics Infrastructure Department, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, China
Qian Liao: Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, China
Jun Liang: Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, China
Chuanxiang Yu: Wujiang District Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Suzhou 215299, China
Xiaolin Wu: Department of Sanitary Chemistry, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, China
Manlin Chen: Department of Sanitary Chemistry, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, China
Ying Tang: Department of Sanitary Chemistry, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, China
Lihong Zhou: Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, China
Xiaoqiang Qiu: Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, China; Correspondence to: Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, No. 22 Shuangyong Road, Nanning 530021, Guangxi, China.
Dongxiang Pan: Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, China; Correspondence to: Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, No. 22 Shuangyong Road, Nanning 530021, Guangxi, China.
Dongping Huang: Department of Sanitary Chemistry, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, China; Guangxi Key Laboratory of Environment and Health Research, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, China; Correspondence to: Department of Sanitary Inspection, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, No. 22 Shuangyong Road, Nanning 530021, Guangxi, China.

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 273
p. 116164

Abstract

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Background: An increasing amount of evidence suggests that telomere length (TL) at birth can predict lifespan and is associated with chronic diseases later in life, but newborn TL may be affected by environmental pollutants. Neonicotinoids (NEOs) are widely used worldwide, and despite an increasing number of studies showing that they may have adverse effects on birth in mammals and even humans, few studies have examined the effect of NEO exposure on newborn TLs. Objective: To investigate the effects of prenatal exposure to NEOs and the interactions between NEOs and sampling season on newborn TL. Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study of 500 mother-newborn pairs from the Guangxi Zhuang Birth Cohort. Ultraperformance liquid chromatographymass spectrometry was used to detect ten NEOs in maternal serum, and fluorescence quantitative PCR was used to estimate the newborn TL. A generalized linear model (GLM) was used to evaluate the relationships between individual NEO exposures and TLs , and quantile g-computation (Qgcomp) model and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) model were used to evaluate the combined effect of mixtures of components. Results: The results of the GLM showed that compared with maternal TMX levels < LOD, maternal TMX levels < median were negatively correlated with newborn TL (-6.93%, 95% CI%: −11.92%, −1.66%), and the decrease in newborn TL was more pronounced in girls (-9.60%, 95% CI: −16.84%, −1.72%). Moreover, different kinds of maternal NEO exposure had different effects on newborn TL in different sampling seasons, and the effect was statistically significant in all seasons except in autumn. Mixed exposure analysis revealed a potential positive trend between NEOs and newborn TL, but the association was not statistically significant. Conclusion: Prenatal exposure to TMX may shorten newborn TL, and this effect is more pronounced among female newborns. Furthermore, the relationship between NEO exposure and TL may be modified by the sampling season.

Published in Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety

ISSN: 0147-6513 (Print); 1090-2414 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: United States
LCC subjects: Technology: Environmental technology. Sanitary engineering: Environmental pollution; Geography. Anthropology. Recreation: Environmental sciences
Website: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/ecotoxicology-and-environmental-safety

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