Impact of prenatal phthalate exposure on newborn metabolome and infant neurodevelopment

Susan S. Hoffman, Ziyin Tang, Anne Dunlop, Patricia A. Brennan, Thompson Huynh, Stephanie M. Eick, Dana B. Barr, Blake Rushing, Susan L. McRitchie, Susan Sumner, Kaitlin R. Taibl, Youran Tan, Parinya Panuwet, Grace E. Lee, Jasmin Eatman, Elizabeth J. Corwin, P. Barry Ryan, Dean P. Jones and Donghai Liang ()
Additional contact information
Susan S. Hoffman: Emory University
Ziyin Tang: Emory University
Anne Dunlop: Emory University
Patricia A. Brennan: Emory University
Thompson Huynh: Emory University
Stephanie M. Eick: Emory University
Dana B. Barr: Emory University
Blake Rushing: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Susan L. McRitchie: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Susan Sumner: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Kaitlin R. Taibl: Emory University
Youran Tan: Emory University
Parinya Panuwet: Emory University
Grace E. Lee: Emory University
Jasmin Eatman: Emory University
Elizabeth J. Corwin: Columbia University
P. Barry Ryan: Emory University
Dean P. Jones: Emory University
Donghai Liang: Emory University

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-16

Abstract: Abstract We evaluated associations among exposure to prenatal phthalate metabolites, perturbations of the newborn metabolome, and infant neurobehavioral functioning in mother-newborn pairs enrolled in the Atlanta African American Maternal-Child Cohort during 2016–2018. We quantified eight phthalate metabolites in prenatal urine samples collected between 8- and 14-weeks’ (visit 1; n = 216) and 24- and 30-weeks’ gestation (visit 2; n = 145) and metabolite features in newborn dried-blood spot samples collected at delivery. Associations between phthalate metabolite concentrations and metabolic feature intensities at both visits were examined using adjusted generalized linear models (MWAS). Then, an exploratory meet-in-the-middle (MITM) analysis was conducted in a subset with NICU Neonatal Neurobehavioral Scale (NNNS) scores (visit 1 n = 81; visit 2 n = 71). In both the MWAS and MITM, many of the confirmed metabolites are involved in tyrosine and tryptophan metabolism, including tryptophan, tyrosine, thyroxine, and serine. This analysis elucidates how prenatal phthalate exposure disrupts the newborn metabolome and infant neurobehavioral outcomes.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-57273-z

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