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Maternal APOE ε2 as a possible risk factor for elevated prenatal Pb levels

Palir, Neza ; Stajnko, Anja LU ; Mazej, Darja ; France Štiglic, Alenka ; Rosolen, Valentina ; Mariuz, Marika ; Ronfani, Luca ; Snoj Tratnik, Janja ; Runkel, Agneta Annika LU orcid and Tursunova, Veronika , et al. (2024) In Environmental Research 260. p.1-12
Abstract

Lead (Pb) is a global contaminant associated with multiple adverse health effects. Humans are especially vulnerable during critical developmental stages. During pregnancy, exposure to Pb can occur through diet and release from maternal bones. Apolipoprotein E gene (APOE) variants (ɛ2, ɛ3, ɛ4 alleles) may influence sex steroid hormones, bone metabolism, and Pb kinetics. We examined the interplay among maternal APOE (mAPOE) genotypes, fetal sex, parity, and Pb in maternal and cord blood (mB-Pb, CB-Pb) using linear regression models. Our study involved 817 pregnant women and 772 newborns with measured adequate levels of zinc and selenium. We compared carriers of the ε2 and ε4 alleles to those with the ε3/ε3 genotype. The geometric means... (More)

Lead (Pb) is a global contaminant associated with multiple adverse health effects. Humans are especially vulnerable during critical developmental stages. During pregnancy, exposure to Pb can occur through diet and release from maternal bones. Apolipoprotein E gene (APOE) variants (ɛ2, ɛ3, ɛ4 alleles) may influence sex steroid hormones, bone metabolism, and Pb kinetics. We examined the interplay among maternal APOE (mAPOE) genotypes, fetal sex, parity, and Pb in maternal and cord blood (mB-Pb, CB-Pb) using linear regression models. Our study involved 817 pregnant women and 772 newborns with measured adequate levels of zinc and selenium. We compared carriers of the ε2 and ε4 alleles to those with the ε3/ε3 genotype. The geometric means (range) of mB-Pb and CB-Pb were 11.1 (3.58-87.6) and 9.31 (1.82-47.0) ng/g, respectively. In cases with female fetuses, the maternal mAPOE ε2 allele was associated with higher, while the mAPOE ε4 allele was associated with lower mB-Pb and CB-Pb levels. Nulliparity increased the strength of the observed associations. These findings highlight the significance of mAPOE genetics, fetal sex, and parity in prenatal Pb kinetics. Notably, the maternal ε2 allele may increase the risk of Pb exposure.

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publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
keywords
Adult, Female, Humans, Infant, Newborn, Male, Pregnancy, Young Adult, Apolipoprotein E2/genetics, Environmental Pollutants/blood, Fetal Blood/chemistry, Genotype, Lead/blood, Maternal Exposure/adverse effects, Risk Factors
in
Environmental Research
volume
260
article number
119583
pages
1 - 12
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • scopus:85198532100
  • pmid:38992759
ISSN
1096-0953
DOI
10.1016/j.envres.2024.119583
language
English
LU publication?
no
additional info
Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
id
036cb7d6-c0aa-498c-9190-a06e96f0d7ce
date added to LUP
2025-02-18 17:05:42
date last changed
2025-06-11 12:59:33
@article{036cb7d6-c0aa-498c-9190-a06e96f0d7ce,
  abstract     = {{<p>Lead (Pb) is a global contaminant associated with multiple adverse health effects. Humans are especially vulnerable during critical developmental stages. During pregnancy, exposure to Pb can occur through diet and release from maternal bones. Apolipoprotein E gene (APOE) variants (ɛ2, ɛ3, ɛ4 alleles) may influence sex steroid hormones, bone metabolism, and Pb kinetics. We examined the interplay among maternal APOE (mAPOE) genotypes, fetal sex, parity, and Pb in maternal and cord blood (mB-Pb, CB-Pb) using linear regression models. Our study involved 817 pregnant women and 772 newborns with measured adequate levels of zinc and selenium. We compared carriers of the ε2 and ε4 alleles to those with the ε3/ε3 genotype. The geometric means (range) of mB-Pb and CB-Pb were 11.1 (3.58-87.6) and 9.31 (1.82-47.0) ng/g, respectively. In cases with female fetuses, the maternal mAPOE ε2 allele was associated with higher, while the mAPOE ε4 allele was associated with lower mB-Pb and CB-Pb levels. Nulliparity increased the strength of the observed associations. These findings highlight the significance of mAPOE genetics, fetal sex, and parity in prenatal Pb kinetics. Notably, the maternal ε2 allele may increase the risk of Pb exposure.</p>}},
  author       = {{Palir, Neza and Stajnko, Anja and Mazej, Darja and France Štiglic, Alenka and Rosolen, Valentina and Mariuz, Marika and Ronfani, Luca and Snoj Tratnik, Janja and Runkel, Agneta Annika and Tursunova, Veronika and Marc, Janja and Prpić, Igor and Špirić, Zdravko and Barbone, Fabio and Horvat, Milena and Falnoga, Ingrid}},
  issn         = {{1096-0953}},
  keywords     = {{Adult; Female; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Male; Pregnancy; Young Adult; Apolipoprotein E2/genetics; Environmental Pollutants/blood; Fetal Blood/chemistry; Genotype; Lead/blood; Maternal Exposure/adverse effects; Risk Factors}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{11}},
  pages        = {{1--12}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Environmental Research}},
  title        = {{Maternal APOE ε2 as a possible risk factor for elevated prenatal Pb levels}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2024.119583}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.envres.2024.119583}},
  volume       = {{260}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}