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Publication Detail

Title: Associations of maternal immune response with MeHg exposure at 28 weeks' gestation in the Seychelles Child Development Study.

Authors: McSorley, Emeir M; Yeates, Alison J; Mulhern, Maria S; van Wijngaarden, Edwin; Grzesik, Katherine; Thurston, Sally W; Spence, Toni; Crowe, William; Davidson, Philip W; Zareba, Grazyna; Myers, Gary J; Watson, Gene E; Shamlaye, Conrad F; Strain, J J

Published In Am J Reprod Immunol, (2018 11)

Abstract: PROBLEM: Maternal methylmercury (MeHg) exposure may be associated with immune response during pregnancy. METHOD OF STUDY: In the high fish-eating Seychelles Child Development Study Nutrition Cohort 2, we examined the association between maternal MeHg, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), and immune markers (Th1:Th2; TNF-α, IL-1β, IFN-γ, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-10, MCP-1, TARC, sFlt-1, VEGF-D, CRP and IL-6) at 28 weeks' gestation. Linear regression examined associations between MeHg exposure and immune markers with and without adjustment for PUFA. RESULTS: In all models, as MeHg concentrations increased, the Th1:Th2 ratio, total Th1 and individual Th1 (IL-1β, IL-2, TNF-α) concentrations decreased. MeHg was not associated with total Th2 cytokines but was associated with a decrease in IL-4 and IL-10. MeHg was positively associated with TARC and VEGF-D and negatively associated with CRP. There was a significant interaction between MeHg and the n-6:n-3 ratio, with MeHg associated with a larger decrease in Th1:Th2 at higher n-6:n-3 PUFA ratios. The n-3 PUFA were associated with lower CRP, IL-4 and higher IFN-γ. The n-6 PUFA were associated with higher IL-1β, IL-2, TNF-α, IL-4, IL-10, CRP and IL-6. CONCLUSION: Maternal MeHg was associated with markers of immune function at 28 weeks' gestation. A significant interaction between MeHg and the n-6:n-3 ratio on the Th1:Th2 ratio suggests that the n-3 PUFA may mitigate any immunosuppressive associations of MeHg. The n-3 and n-6 PUFA were associated with suppressive and stimulatory immune responses, respectively. Overall, the associations were of small magnitude, and further research is required to determine the clinical significance.

PubMed ID: 30295973 Exiting the NIEHS site

MeSH Terms: No MeSH terms associated with this publication

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