Prenatal exposure to environmental phenols and phthalates and altered patterns of DNA methylation in childhood

Dennis Khodasevich; Nina Holland; Kim G. Harley; Brenda Eskenazi; Lisa F. Barcellos; Andres Cardenas

Environment International (Aug 2024)

Prenatal exposure to environmental phenols and phthalates and altered patterns of DNA methylation in childhood

Dennis Khodasevich,
Nina Holland,
Kim G. Harley,
Brenda Eskenazi,
Lisa F. Barcellos,
Andres Cardenas

Affiliations

Dennis Khodasevich: Division of Environmental Health Sciences, Berkeley Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
Nina Holland: Center for Environmental Research and Community Health (CERCH), Berkeley Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
Kim G. Harley: Center for Environmental Research and Community Health (CERCH), Berkeley Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
Brenda Eskenazi: Center for Environmental Research and Community Health (CERCH), Berkeley Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
Lisa F. Barcellos: Division of Epidemiology, Berkeley Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
Andres Cardenas: Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA; Corresponding author at: Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 190
p. 108862

Abstract

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Introduction: Epigenetic marks are key biomarkers linking the prenatal environment to health and development. However, DNA methylation associations and persistence of marks for prenatal exposure to multiple Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) in human populations have not been examined in great detail. Methods: We measured Bisphenol-A (BPA), triclosan, benzophenone-3 (BP3), methyl-paraben, propyl-paraben, and butyl-paraben, as well as 11 phthalate metabolites, in two pregnancy urine samples, at approximately 13 and 26 weeks of gestation in participants of the Center for the Health Assessment of Mothers and Children of Salinas (CHAMACOS) study (N = 309). DNA methylation of cord blood at birth and child peripheral blood at ages 9 and 14 years was measured with 450K and EPIC arrays. Robust linear regression was used to identify differentially methylated probes (DMPs), and comb-p was used to identify differentially methylated regions (DMRs) in association with pregnancy-averaged EDC concentrations. Quantile g-computation was used to assess associations of the whole phenol/phthalate mixture with DMPs and DMRs. Results: Prenatal BPA exposure was associated with 1 CpG among males and Parabens were associated with 10 CpGs among females at Bonferroni-level significance in cord blood. Other suggestive DMPs (unadjusted p-value < 1 × 10−6) and several DMRs associated with the individual phenols and whole mixture were also identified. A total of 10 CpG sites at least suggestively associated with BPA, Triclosan, BP3, Parabens, and the whole mixture in cord blood were found to persist into adolescence in peripheral blood. Conclusions: We found sex-specific associations between prenatal phenol exposure and DNA methylation, particularly with BPA in males and Parabens in females. Additionally, we found several DMPs that maintained significant associations with prenatal EDC exposures at age 9 and age 14 years.

Published in Environment International

ISSN: 0160-4120 (Print)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Geography. Anthropology. Recreation: Environmental sciences
Website: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/environment-international

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