Gestational Exposure to Plastic Additives and Associations with Placental Function-Related Genes

Abstract

Despite an increasing number of environmental reports on plastic additives, gestational exposure to these chemicals has been poorly characterized. The present work aimed to characterize gestational exposure to a total of 50 broadly used plasticizers and antioxidants in women with full-term (n = 155) and preterm deliveries (n = 75) and to explore the associations of prenatal exposure with the expressions of placental function-related genes. A few of them exhibited significantly different concentrations between the preterm and full-term deliveries group, including 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-(dimethylamino-methyl)phenol (AO4703), dibutyl fumarate (DBF), tributyl citrate (TBC), triethyl citrate (TEC) 2,4-di-tert-butyl-phenol (2,4-DtBP), 2,4-(1,1,3,3-tetra-methylbutyl)phenol (4-tOP), 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxytoluene (BHT), and their transformation products. Significant associations were determined between the concentrations of selected chemicals among the 14 substances with detection frequency greater than 60% and the mRNA expression levels of selected genes related to placental functions. The associations also exhibited chemical-specific patterns and significantly differed between preterm and full-term deliveries. Our work represents the first population-based study to assess potential links between gestational exposure to selected plasticizers and antioxidants and placental functions, calling for further efforts to elucidate the potential mechanisms and subsequent impacts on adverse pregnancy outcomes.