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

Palir, Neža (author), Marc, Janja (author), Falnoga, Ingrid (author)

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.

• Language: English
• Keywords: cord blood, maternal APOE ε2 allele, bone turnover, fetal sex, parity, lead, blood
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FFA - Faculty of Pharmacy
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2024
• Number of pages: 12 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 260, art. 119583
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-159802
• UDC: 504.5
• ISSN on article: 1096-0953
• DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.119583
• COBISS.SI-ID: 202005507
• Publication date in RUL: 25.07.2024

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Environmental research
• Shortened title: Environ. res.
• Publisher: Elsevier
• ISSN: 1096-0953
• COBISS.SI-ID: 512760888

Licences

• License: CC BY-NC 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
• Description: A creative commons license that bans commercial use, but the users don’t have to license their derivative works on the same terms.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: popkovna kri, plodov spol, polimorfizmi, svinec, kri, nosečnost, fetus

Projects

• Funder: ARRS - Slovenian Research Agency
• Project number: P1-0143
• Name: Kroženje snovi v okolju, snovna bilanca in modeliranje okoljskih procesov ter ocena tveganja

• Funder: ARRS - Slovenian Research Agency
• Project number: J7-9400
• Name: Nevropsihološke disfunkcije, ki jih povzroča nizka stopnja izpostavljenosti izbranim onesnaževalom iz okolja pri občutljivi populaciji - NEURODYS