The Impact of Environmental Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, and Xylene Exposure on Blood-Based DNA Methylation Profiles in Pregnant African American Women from Detroit

Jennifer K. Straughen (), Ian Loveless, Yalei Chen, Charlotte Burmeister, Lois Lamerato, Lawrence D. Lemke, Brendan F. O’Leary, John J. Reiners, F. Gianluca Sperone, Albert M. Levin and Andrea E. Cassidy-Bushrow
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Jennifer K. Straughen: Department of Public Health Sciences, Henry Ford Health, 1 Ford Place, Detroit, MI 48202, USA
Ian Loveless: Department of Public Health Sciences, Henry Ford Health, 1 Ford Place, Detroit, MI 48202, USA
Yalei Chen: Department of Public Health Sciences, Henry Ford Health, 1 Ford Place, Detroit, MI 48202, USA
Charlotte Burmeister: Department of Public Health Sciences, Henry Ford Health, 1 Ford Place, Detroit, MI 48202, USA
Lois Lamerato: Department of Public Health Sciences, Henry Ford Health, 1 Ford Place, Detroit, MI 48202, USA
Lawrence D. Lemke: Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Central Michigan University, Brooks Hall 314, Mount Pleasant, MI 48859, USA
Brendan F. O’Leary: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Wayne State University, 2100 Engineering Building, Detroit, MI 48202, USA
John J. Reiners: Center for Urban Responses to Environmental Stressors, Wayne State University, 6135 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI 48202, USA
F. Gianluca Sperone: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Wayne State University, 2100 Engineering Building, Detroit, MI 48202, USA
Albert M. Levin: Department of Public Health Sciences, Henry Ford Health, 1 Ford Place, Detroit, MI 48202, USA
Andrea E. Cassidy-Bushrow: Department of Public Health Sciences, Henry Ford Health, 1 Ford Place, Detroit, MI 48202, USA

IJERPH, 2024, vol. 21, issue 3, 1-10

Abstract: African American women in the United States have a high risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. DNA methylation is a potential mechanism by which exposure to BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes) may cause adverse pregnancy outcomes. Data are from the Maternal Stress Study, which recruited African American women in the second trimester of pregnancy from February 2009 to June 2010. DNA methylation was measured in archived DNA from venous blood collected in the second trimester. Trimester-specific exposure to airshed BTEX was estimated using maternal self-reported addresses and geospatial models of ambient air pollution developed as part of the Geospatial Determinants of Health Outcomes Consortium. Among the 64 women with exposure and outcome data available, 46 differentially methylated regions (DMRs) were associated with BTEX exposure (FDR adjusted p -value < 0.05) using a DMR-based epigenome-wide association study approach. Overall, 89% of DMRs consistently exhibited hypomethylation with increasing BTEX exposure. Biological pathway analysis identified 11 enriched pathways, with the top 3 involving gamma-aminobutyric acid receptor signaling, oxytocin in brain signaling, and the gustation pathway. These findings highlight the potential impact of BTEX on DNA methylation in pregnant women.

Keywords: DNA methylation; pregnancy; BTEX; epidemiology; volatile organic compounds (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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