PREGNANCY and POLLUTION: It disrupts the DNA at the level of each cell

The research thus clarifies the impact of PM2.5 on maternal and fetal health at the cellular level -or of a single cell-using innovative technology to detect how pollution changes the DNA in each individual cell. This work expands understanding of the biological pathways by which air pollution affects pregnancy and childbirth outcomes, and calls, again, for more policy and clinical interventions to limit exposure of pregnant women. to air pollution.

Understanding these associations at the cellular and molecular levels

Previous research has confirmed the association between pregnant women’s exposure to PM2.5 and maternal and child health complications, including preeclampsia, low birth weight and developmental delays in early childhood.

The study which aims to understand these associations at the cellular level, analyzes air quality data collected by the Environmental Protection Agency to calculate the average PM2.5 exposure of participants, both women pregnant and 20 weeks pregnant. Researchers are deciphering how pollution modifies the DNA of individual cells of participants. In each cell, a cutting-edge technique allows them to map histone changesproteins that help control the release of cytokines, proteins involved in controlling inflammation in the body. This analysis reveals that:

• exposure to PM2.5 influences the histone profiles of pregnant women, disrupting the normal balance of cytokine genes and inducing increased inflammation in pregnant women, and their babies;
• exposure to air pollution and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is associated with altered immune responses;
• this increase in inflammation helps explain adverse pregnancy outcomes.

“Our findings highlight the importance of minimizing exposure to air pollution among pregnant women to protect maternal and fetal health”concludes one of the authors, Youn Soo Jung, environmental health researcher.

“Policy interventions to improve air quality, as well as clinical guidelines to help pregnant women reduce their exposure to pollution, could have a direct impact on reducing pregnancy complications. »