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Title: Prenatal phthalate exposure in relation to placental corticotropin releasing hormone (pCRH) in the CANDLE cohort.

Authors: Barrett, Emily S; Corsetti, Matthew; Day, Drew; Thurston, Sally W; Loftus, Christine T; Karr, Catherine J; Kannan, Kurunthachalam; LeWinn, Kaja Z; Smith, Alicia K; Smith, Roger; Tylavsky, Frances A; Bush, Nicole R; Sathyanarayana, Sheela

Published In Environ Int, (2022 Feb)

Abstract: CONTEXT: Phthalates may disrupt maternal-fetal-placental endocrine pathways, affecting pregnancy outcomes and child development. Placental corticotropin releasing hormone (pCRH) is critical for healthy pregnancy and child development, but understudied as a target of endocrine disruption. OBJECTIVE: To examine phthalate metabolite concentrations (as mixtures and individually) in relation to pCRH. DESIGN: Secondary data analysis from a prospective cohort study. SETTING: Prenatal clinics in Tennessee, USA. PATIENTS: 1018 pregnant women (61.4% non-Hispanic Black, 32% non-Hispanic White, 6.6% other) participated in the CANDLE study and provided data. Inclusion criteria included: low-medical-risk singleton pregnancy, age 16-40, and gestational weeks 16-29. INTERVENTION: None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Plasma pCRH at two visits (mean gestational ages 23.0 and 31.8 weeks) and change in pCRH between visits (ΔpCRH). RESULTS: In weighted quantile sums (WQS) regression models, phthalate mixtures were associated with higher pCRH at Visit 1 (β = 0.07, 95 %CI: 0.02, 0.11) but lower pCRH at Visit 2 (β = -0.08, 95 %CI: -0.14, -0.02). In stratified analyses, among women with gestational diabetes (n = 59), phthalate mixtures were associated with lower pCRH at Visit 1 (β = -0.17, 95 %CI: -0.35, 0.0006) and Visit 2 (β = -0.35, 95 %CI: -0.50, -0.19), as well as greater ΔpCRH (β = 0.16, 95 %CI: 0.07, 0.25). Among women with gestational hypertension (n = 102), phthalate mixtures were associated with higher pCRH at Visit 1 (β = 0.20, 95 %CI: 0.03, 0.36) and Visit 2 (β = 0.42; 95 %CI: 0.19, 0.64) and lower ΔpCRH (β = -0.17, 95 %CI: -0.29, -0.06). Significant interactions between individual phthalate metabolites and pregnancy complications were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Phthalates may impact placental CRH secretion, with differing effects across pregnancy. Differences in results between women with and without gestational diabetes and gestational hypertension suggest a need for further research examining whether women with pregnancy complications may be more vulnerable to endocrine-disrupting effects of phthalates.

PubMed ID: 35007898 Exiting the NIEHS site

MeSH Terms: Adolescent; Adult; Child; Cohort Studies; Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone*; Female; Humans; Infant; Phthalic Acids*/adverse effects; Placenta; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Outcome; Prospective Studies; Young Adult

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