Results
Title

Prenatal DEHP exposure predicts neurological disorders via transgenerational epigenetics.

Authors

Tran, Mita T. M. T.; Kuo, Fu-Chen; Low, Jie-Ting; Chuang, Yu-Ming; Sultana, Sofia; Huang, Wen-Long; Lin, Zhe-Young; Lin, Guan-Ling; Wu, Chia-Fang; Li, Sih-Syuan; Suen, Jau-Ling; Hung, Chih-Hsing; Wu, Ming-Tsang; Chan, Michael W. Y.

Abstract

Recent experimental and observational research has suggested that childhood allergic asthma and other conditions may be the result of prenatal exposure to environmental contaminants, such as di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP). In a previous epidemiological study, we found that ancestral exposure (F0 generation) to endocrine disruptors or the common plasticizer DEHP promoted allergic airway inflammation via transgenerational transmission in mice from generation F1 to F4. In the current study, we employed a MethylationEPIC Beadchip microarray to examine global DNA methylation in the human placenta as a function of maternal exposure to DEHP during pregnancy. Interestingly, global DNA hypomethylation was observed in placental DNA following exposure to DEHP at high concentrations. Bioinformatic analysis confirmed that DNA methylation affected genes related to neurological disorders, such as autism and dementia. These results suggest that maternal exposure to DEHP may predispose offspring to neurological diseases. Given the small sample size in this study, the potential role of DNA methylation as a biomarker to assess the risk of these diseases deserves further investigation.

Subjects

PRENATAL exposure; NEUROLOGICAL disorders; POLLUTANTS; DNA methylation; MATERNAL exposure

Publication

Scientific Reports, 2023, Vol 13, Issue 1, p1

ISSN

2045-2322

Publication type

Academic Journal

DOI

10.1038/s41598-023-34661-3