Ambient ozone exposure and amino acids metabolome in adolescents with overweight and obesity

Abstract

Ambient ozone exposure and amino acids metabolome in adolescents with overweight and obesity Background Air pollution is a public health problem already associated with increased cardiometabolic diseases, however metabolomic pathways involved in air pollution remain not clear, especially in vulnerable population like adolescents who are at a critical period for development. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the relation between short term ozone exposure and amino acid and acyl carnitines in blood metabolome.MethodsWe conducted a longitudinal study on 9 to 21 years old adolescent with overweight and obesity from Mexico City. Ambient ozone exposure and other meteorological variables were estimated based on participants' residential addresses, lag and cumulative average effects were assessed. Three serum measurements were evaluated in 197 participants at different times over six years of follow-up, 40 metabolites related to beta oxidation of fatty acids and gluconeogenesis were measured. Factor analysis of the 40 metabolites was performed to identify 3 indexes: acylcarnitine index, amino acid index and a mixed index. Finally, we used mixed effects models to evaluate the associations between ozone exposure, metabolomic indexes and the individual metabolite concentrations of the first five metabolites in the index.ResultsLag-1 day maximum ozone concentration was associated with lower concentrations of amino acid index. Alanine, leucine, valine and tyrosine had the higher scores in the amino acid index and each of this amino acid concentration were significant lower with lag-1 and 2 to 5-day average ozone concentration.ConclusionsThis study suggests that higher concentrations of ozone are associated with lower amino acid index scores and individual amino acid concentrations in adolescents with overweight and obesity.