title: Third trimester phthalate exposure is associated with DNA methylation of growth-related genes in human placenta.
abstract: Strong evidence implicates maternal phthalate exposure during pregnancy in contributing to adverse birth outcomes. Recent research suggests these effects might be mediated through the improper regulation of DNA methylation in offspring tissue. In this study, we examined associations between prenatal phthalate exposure and DNA methylation in human placenta. We recruited 181 mother-newborn pairs (80 fetal growth restriction newborns, 101 normal newborns) in Wenzhou, China and measured third trimester urinary phthalate metabolite concentrations and placental DNA methylation levels of IGF2 and AHRR. We found urinary concentrations of mono (2-ethyl-5- hydroxyhexyl) phthalate (MEHHP), and mono (2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl) phthalate (MEOHP) were significantly inversely associated with placental IGF2 DNA methylation. The associations were much more evident in fetal growth restriction (FGR) newborns than those in normal newborns. These findings suggest that changes in placental DNA methylation might be part of the underlying biological pathway between prenatal phthalate exposure and adverse fetal growth.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety, Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety, Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Jiao
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety, Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Xiu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety, Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Qi
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control &Prevention, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Hui-Hui
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety, Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Yun-Hui
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Zhang