Environmental Health Perspectives · 2010 · 41 citations · 33 references
Life SciencesImmunologyMaternal HealthHeavy Metal ToxicologyMaternal-fetal MedicineReproductive ImmunologyArsenic ToxicologyPlacental ImmunologyPlacental PhysiologyPlacental ToxicologyPregnancyPrenatal ToxicologyCytokines In Placental DevelopmentEnvironmental Exposures During PregnancyInflammation-related BiomarkersMaternal ToxicologyOxidative Stress In PregnancyOxidative Stress InjuryPrenatal Heavy Metal ExposurePrenatal Immune Disruption
Arsenic exposure during pregnancy induces oxidative stress and raises the risk of fetal loss and low birth weight. The study aimed to determine how arsenic affects immune markers in the placenta and cord blood and to assess the role of oxidative stress. A longitudinal cohort of 130 Bangladeshi pregnant women had urinary arsenic measured at gestational weeks 8 and 30, and placental and cord‑blood samples collected at delivery for immunohistochemistry and multiplex cytokine analysis. Higher maternal urinary arsenic at mid‑pregnancy was associated with increased placental 8‑oxoG and pro‑inflammatory cytokines (IL‑1β, TNFα, IFNγ), a decline in placental CD3⁺ T cells, and altered cord‑blood cytokine patterns, indicating that arsenic‑induced oxidative stress drives placental inflammation and may compromise fetal immune development.
BackgroundArsenic (As) exposure during pregnancy induces oxidative stress and increases the risk of fetal loss and low birth weight.ObjectivesIn this study we aimed to elucidate the effects of As exposure on immune markers in the placenta and cord blood, and the involvement of oxidative stress.MethodsPregnant women were enrolled around gestational week (GW) 8 in our longitudinal, population-based, mother–child cohort in Matlab, an area in rural Bangladesh with large variations in As concentrations in well water. Women (n = 130) delivering at local clinics were included in the present study. We collected maternal urine twice during pregnancy (GW8 and GW30) for measurements of As, and placenta and cord blood at delivery for assessment of immune and inflammatory markers. Placental markers were measured by immunohistochemistry, and cord blood cytokines by multiplex cytokine assay.ResultsIn multivariable adjusted models, maternal urinary As (U-As) exposure both at GW8 and at GW30 was significantly positively associated with placental markers of 8-oxoguanine (8-oxoG) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β); U-As at GW8, with tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) and interferon-γ (IFNγ); and U-As at GW30, with leptin; U-As at GW8 was inversely associated with CD3+ T cells in the placenta. Cord blood cytokines (IL-1β, IL-8, IFNγ, TNFα) showed a U-shaped association with U-As at GW30. Placental 8-oxoG was significantly positively associated with placental proinflammatory cytokines. Multivariable adjusted analyses suggested that enhanced placental cytokine expression (TNFα and IFNγ) was primarily influenced by oxidative stress, whereas leptin expression appeared to be mostly mediated by As, and IL-1β appeared to be influenced by both oxidative stress and As.ConclusionAs exposure during pregnancy appeared to enhance placental inflammatory responses (in part by increasing oxidative stress), reduce placental T cells, and alter cord blood cytokines. These findings suggest that effects of As on immune function may contribute to impaired fetal and infant health.
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Arsenic in drinking water and pregnancy outcomes.
Sk Akhtar Ahmad, Md Sayed, Shilajit Barua et al. · Environmental Health Perspectives · 2001 · 375 citations · Full text
Exposure to Inorganic Arsenic Metabolites during Early Human Development
Gabriela Concha, Gerardo Vogler, Dora Lezcano et al. · Toxicological Sciences · 1998 · 365 citations
Chronic Arsenic Exposure and Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes in Bangladesh
Abul Hasnat Milton, Wayne Smith, Bayzidur Rahman et al. · Epidemiology · 2004 · 285 citations