Prenatal Exposure to Di-Ethyl Phthalate (DEP) Is Related to Increasing Neonatal IgE Levels and the Altering of the Immune Polarization of Helper-T Cells

Chang-Ku Tsai, Hsin-Hsin Cheng, Te-Yao Hsu, Jiu-Yao Wang, Chih-Hsing Hung, Ching-Chang Tsai, Yun-Ju Lai, Yu-Ju Lin, Hsin-Chun Huang, Julie Y. H. Chan, You-Lin Tain, Chih-Cheng Chen, Ti-An Tsai and Hong-Ren Yu
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Chang-Ku Tsai: Department of Pediatrics, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung 83301, Taiwan
Hsin-Hsin Cheng: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital-Kaohsiung Medical Centre, Kaohsiung 83301, Taiwan
Te-Yao Hsu: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital-Kaohsiung Medical Centre, Kaohsiung 83301, Taiwan
Jiu-Yao Wang: Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan City 704302, Taiwan
Chih-Hsing Hung: Department of Pediatrics, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung 80756, Taiwan
Ching-Chang Tsai: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital-Kaohsiung Medical Centre, Kaohsiung 83301, Taiwan
Yun-Ju Lai: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital-Kaohsiung Medical Centre, Kaohsiung 83301, Taiwan
Yu-Ju Lin: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital-Kaohsiung Medical Centre, Kaohsiung 83301, Taiwan
Hsin-Chun Huang: Department of Pediatrics, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung 83301, Taiwan
Julie Y. H. Chan: Institute for Translational Research in Biomedicine, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung 83301, Taiwan
You-Lin Tain: Department of Pediatrics, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung 83301, Taiwan
Chih-Cheng Chen: Department of Pediatrics, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung 83301, Taiwan
Ti-An Tsai: Department of Pediatrics, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung 83301, Taiwan
Hong-Ren Yu: Department of Pediatrics, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung 83301, Taiwan

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 12, 1-13

Abstract: Introduction: Phthalates are substances that are added to plastic products to increase their plasticity. These substances are released easily into the environment and can act as endocrine disruptors. Epidemiological studies in children have showed inconsistent findings regarding the relationship between prenatal or postnatal exposure to phthalates and the risk of allergic disease. Our hypothesis is that prenatal exposure to phthalates may contribute to the development of allergies in children. Material and methods: The objective of this study was to determine the associations between urinary phthalate metabolite concentrations in pregnant women, maternal atopic diathesis, maternal lifestyle, and cord blood IgE. Pregnant mothers and paired newborns (n = 101) were enrolled from an antenatal clinic. The epidemiologic data and the clinical information were collected using standard questionnaires and medical records. The maternal blood and urine samples were collected at 24–28 weeks gestation, and cord blood IgE, IL-12p70, IL-4, and IL-10 levels were determined from the newborns at birth. The link between phthalates and maternal IgE was also assessed. To investigate the effects of phthalates on neonatal immunity, cord blood mononuclear cells (MNCs) were used for cytokine induction in another in vitro experiment. Results: We found that maternal urine monoethyl phthalate (MEP) (a metabolite of di-ethyl phthalate (DEP)) concentrations are positively correlated with the cord blood IgE of the corresponding newborns. The cord blood IL-12p70 levels of mothers with higher maternal urine MEP groups (high DEP exposure) were lower than mothers with low DEP exposure. In vitro experiments demonstrated that DEP could enhance IL-4 production of cord blood MNCs rather than adult MNCs. Conclusion: Prenatal DEP exposure is related to neonatal IgE level and alternation of cytokines relevant to Th1/Th2 polarization. This suggests the existence of a link between prenatal exposure to specific plasticizers and the future development of allergies.

Keywords: cord blood; IgE; T-cell polarization; plasticizer; prenatal (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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