Prenatal DEHP Exposure Predicts Neurological Disorders Via Transgenerational Epigenetics

Overview

Journal Sci Rep

Specialty Science

Date 2023 May 6

PMID 37149698

Authors

Mita T M T Tran

Fu-Chen Kuo

Jie-Ting Low

Yu-Ming Chuang

Sofia Sultana

Wen-Long Huang

Zhe-Young Lin

Guan-Ling Lin

Chia-Fang Wu

Sih-Syuan Li

Jau-Ling Suen

Chih-Hsing Hung

Ming-Tsang Wu

Michael W Y Chan

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Recent experimental and observational research has suggested that childhood allergic asthma and other conditions may be the result of prenatal exposure to environmental contaminants, such as di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP). In a previous epidemiological study, we found that ancestral exposure (F0 generation) to endocrine disruptors or the common plasticizer DEHP promoted allergic airway inflammation via transgenerational transmission in mice from generation F1 to F4. In the current study, we employed a MethylationEPIC Beadchip microarray to examine global DNA methylation in the human placenta as a function of maternal exposure to DEHP during pregnancy. Interestingly, global DNA hypomethylation was observed in placental DNA following exposure to DEHP at high concentrations. Bioinformatic analysis confirmed that DNA methylation affected genes related to neurological disorders, such as autism and dementia. These results suggest that maternal exposure to DEHP may predispose offspring to neurological diseases. Given the small sample size in this study, the potential role of DNA methylation as a biomarker to assess the risk of these diseases deserves further investigation.

Citing Articles

Maternal di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate exposure increases the risk of congenital heart disease in mice offspring.

Shi H, Zhang Z, Shen A, Ding T, Zhao R, Shi Y Pediatr Res. 2025; .

PMID: 40089607 DOI: 10.1038/s41390-025-03997-z.

Maternal symptoms of depression and anxiety as modifiers of the relationship between prenatal phthalate exposure and infant neurodevelopment in the Atlanta African American maternal-child cohort.

Springer K, Eatman J, Brennan P, Dunlop A, Barr D, Panuwet P Brain Behav Immun Health. 2024; 40:100846.

PMID: 39224563 PMC: 11367505. DOI: 10.1016/j.bbih.2024.100846.

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Zhang M, Hu T, Ma T, Huang W, Wang Y Front Med. 2024; 18(4):571-596.

PMID: 38806988 DOI: 10.1007/s11684-023-1038-2.

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