Ambient PM2.5 exposures and systemic inflammation in women with early pregnancy

Bumei Zhang; Xian Gong; Bin Han; Mengyu Chu; Chen Gong; Junnan Yang; Li Chen; Jianmei Wang; Zhipeng Bai; Yujuan Zhang

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154564

Ambient PM_2.5 exposures and systemic inflammation in women with early pregnancy

Sci Total Environ. 2022 Jul 10:829:154564. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154564. Epub 2022 Mar 15.

Authors

Bumei Zhang¹, Xian Gong¹, Bin Han², Mengyu Chu¹, Chen Gong¹, Junnan Yang¹, Li Chen³, Jianmei Wang¹, Zhipeng Bai⁴, Yujuan Zhang⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Family Planning, The Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China.
² State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, China.
³ School of Geographic and Environmental Sciences, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin, China.
⁴ State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, China; Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
⁵ Department of Family Planning, The Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China; State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, China. Electronic address: zhangyj@tmu.edu.cn.

PMID: 35302014
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154564

Abstract

The association between ambient fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) and systemic inflammation in women with early pregnancy is unclear. This study estimated the effects of PM_2.5 exposures on inflammatory biomarkers in women with normal early pregnancy (NEP) or clinically recognized early pregnancy loss (CREPL). Serum interleukin-1beta (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) were measured in 228 early pregnant women recruited in Tianjin, China. Maternal PM_2.5 exposures at lag 0 through lag 30 before blood collection were estimated using temporally-adjusted land use regression models. Daily exposures to ambient PM₁₀, NO₂, SO₂, CO and 8-hours maximum ozone were estimated using city-level concentrations. Single-day lag effects at lag 0 through lag 7 were estimated using multivariable linear regression models. Distributed lag effects and cumulative effects over the preceding seven days and 30 days were estimated using distributed lag non-linear models. Serum IL-1β (8.0% increase at lag 3), IL-6 (33.9% increase at lag 5) and TNF-α (12.7% increase at lag 5) in early pregnant women were significantly increased with an interquartile range increase in PM_2.5 exposures adjusted for temporal confounders and demographic characteristics. These effects were robust in several two-pollutant models. Distributed lag effects over the preceding 30 days also showed that the three cytokines were significantly increased with PM_2.5 on some lag days. Among all cumulative effects of PM_2.5 on the three cytokines in all subjects or in the two groups, only IL-6 was significantly increased in CREPL women over the preceding seven days and 30 days. No significant cumulative effect of PM_2.5 was observed in NEP women. In conclusion, exposure to ambient PM_2.5 may induce systemic inflammation in women in the first trimester of pregnancy. Whether the PM_2.5-related cumulative increase in maternal IL-6 is involved in the pathogenic mechanisms of early pregnancy loss needs to be identified in future research.

Keywords: Air pollution; Biomarker; Inflammatory response; Miscarriage; Particulate matter; Pregnant.

MeSH terms

Abortion, Spontaneous*
Air Pollutants* / analysis
Air Pollution* / analysis
China / epidemiology
Environmental Exposure / analysis
Female
Humans
Inflammation
Interleukin-6
Particulate Matter / analysis
Pregnancy
Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

Substances

Air Pollutants
Interleukin-6
Particulate Matter
Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha