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Title: Maternal Metals/Metalloid Blood Levels Are Associated With Lipidomic Profiles Among Pregnant Women in Puerto Rico.

Authors: Kim, Christine; Ashrap, Pahriya; Watkins, Deborah J; Mukherjee, Bhramar; Rosario-Pabón, Zaira Y; Vélez-Vega, Carmen M; Alshawabkeh, Akram N; Cordero, José F; Meeker, John D

Published In Front Public Health, (2021)

Abstract: Background/Aim: The association between heavy metal exposure and adverse birth outcomes is well-established. However, there is a paucity of research identifying biomarker profiles that may improve the early detection of heavy metal-induced adverse birth outcomes. Because lipids are abundant in our body and associated with important signaling pathways, we assessed associations between maternal metals/metalloid blood levels with lipidomic profiles among 83 pregnant women in the Puerto Rico PROTECT birth cohort. Methods: We measured 10 metals/metalloid blood levels during 24-28 weeks of pregnancy. Prenatal plasma lipidomic profiles were identified by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry-based shotgun lipidomics. We derived sums for each lipid class and sums for each lipid sub-class (saturated, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated), which were then regressed on metals/metalloid. False discovery rate (FDR) adjusted p-values (q-values) were used to account for multiple comparisons. Results: A total of 587 unique lipids from 19 lipid classes were profiled. When controlling for multiple comparisons, we observed that maternal exposure to manganese and zinc were negatively associated with plasmenyl-phosphatidylethanolamine (PLPE), particularly those containing polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) chains. In contrast to manganese and zinc, arsenic and mercury were positively associated with PLPE and plasmenyl-phosphatidylcholine (PLPC). Conclusion: Certain metals were significantly associated with lipids that are responsible for the biophysical properties of the cell membrane and antioxidant defense in lipid peroxidation. This study highlighted lipid-metal associations and we anticipate that this study will open up new avenues for developing diagnostic tools.

PubMed ID: 35096734 Exiting the NIEHS site

MeSH Terms: Female; Humans; Lipidomics; Lipids; Manganese; Metalloids*; Metals, Heavy*; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications*; Pregnant Women; Puerto Rico; Zinc

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