Effect of Air Pollution on the Basal DNA Damage of Mother–Newborn Couples of México City
Environmental pollution of megacities can cause early biological damage such as DNA strand breaks and micronuclei formation. Comet assay tail length (TL) reflects exposure in the uterus to high levels of air pollution, primarily ozone and air particles (PM<sub>10</sub>), including mother...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-09-01
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| Series: | Toxics |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6304/11/9/766 |
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| author | Mahara Valverde Adriana Granados Mirta Milić Marcello Ceppi Leticia Sollano Stefano Bonassi Emilio Rojas |
| author_facet | Mahara Valverde Adriana Granados Mirta Milić Marcello Ceppi Leticia Sollano Stefano Bonassi Emilio Rojas |
| author_sort | Mahara Valverde |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Environmental pollution of megacities can cause early biological damage such as DNA strand breaks and micronuclei formation. Comet assay tail length (TL) reflects exposure in the uterus to high levels of air pollution, primarily ozone and air particles (PM<sub>10</sub>), including mothers’ smoking habits during pregnancy, conditions which can lead to low birth weight. In this biomonitoring study, we evaluated basal DNA damage in the cord blood cells of newborn children from Mexico City. We found a correlation between DNA damage in mothers and their newborns, including various parameters of environmental exposure and complications during pregnancy, particularly respiratory difficulties, malformations, obstetric trauma, neuropathies, and nutritional deficiencies. Mothers living in the southern part of the city showed double DNA damage compared to those living in the northern part (TL 8.64 μm vs. 4.18 μm, <i>p</i> < 0.05). Additionally, mothers’ DNA damage correlates with exposure to NOx (range 0.77–1.52 ppm) and PM<sub>10</sub> (range 58.32–75.89 μg/m<sup>3</sup>), as well maternal age >29. These results highlight the sensitivity of the comet assay in identifying differential in utero exposure for newborns whose mothers were exposed during pregnancy. They also suggest the importance of antioxidants during pregnancy and the role of the placental barrier in protecting the newborn from the DNA-damaging effects of oxidative pollution. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T21:53:34Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-58098834e5344c7fa4390616d202db01 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2305-6304 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T21:53:34Z |
| publishDate | 2023-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Toxics |
| spelling | doaj.art-58098834e5344c7fa4390616d202db012023-11-19T13:14:51ZengMDPI AGToxics2305-63042023-09-0111976610.3390/toxics11090766Effect of Air Pollution on the Basal DNA Damage of Mother–Newborn Couples of México CityMahara Valverde0Adriana Granados1Mirta Milić2Marcello Ceppi3Leticia Sollano4Stefano Bonassi5Emilio Rojas6Laboratorio de Genotoxicología, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, U.N.A.M., Mexico City 04510, MexicoLaboratorio de Genotoxicología, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, U.N.A.M., Mexico City 04510, MexicoMutagenesis Unit, Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Ksaverska Cesta 2, 10 001 Zagreb, CroatiaClinical Epidemiology Unit, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, 16132 Genova, ItalyCentro Médico Nacional 20 de Noviembre, I.S.S.S.T.E, Mexico City 03229, MexicoUnit of Clinical and Molecular Epidemiology, IRCCS San Raffaele, 00166 Rome, ItalyLaboratorio de Genotoxicología, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, U.N.A.M., Mexico City 04510, MexicoEnvironmental pollution of megacities can cause early biological damage such as DNA strand breaks and micronuclei formation. Comet assay tail length (TL) reflects exposure in the uterus to high levels of air pollution, primarily ozone and air particles (PM<sub>10</sub>), including mothers’ smoking habits during pregnancy, conditions which can lead to low birth weight. In this biomonitoring study, we evaluated basal DNA damage in the cord blood cells of newborn children from Mexico City. We found a correlation between DNA damage in mothers and their newborns, including various parameters of environmental exposure and complications during pregnancy, particularly respiratory difficulties, malformations, obstetric trauma, neuropathies, and nutritional deficiencies. Mothers living in the southern part of the city showed double DNA damage compared to those living in the northern part (TL 8.64 μm vs. 4.18 μm, <i>p</i> < 0.05). Additionally, mothers’ DNA damage correlates with exposure to NOx (range 0.77–1.52 ppm) and PM<sub>10</sub> (range 58.32–75.89 μg/m<sup>3</sup>), as well maternal age >29. These results highlight the sensitivity of the comet assay in identifying differential in utero exposure for newborns whose mothers were exposed during pregnancy. They also suggest the importance of antioxidants during pregnancy and the role of the placental barrier in protecting the newborn from the DNA-damaging effects of oxidative pollution.https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6304/11/9/766comet assayhuman biomonitoringNOxPM10tail length |
| spellingShingle | Mahara Valverde Adriana Granados Mirta Milić Marcello Ceppi Leticia Sollano Stefano Bonassi Emilio Rojas Effect of Air Pollution on the Basal DNA Damage of Mother–Newborn Couples of México City Toxics comet assay human biomonitoring NOx PM10 tail length |
| title | Effect of Air Pollution on the Basal DNA Damage of Mother–Newborn Couples of México City |
| title_full | Effect of Air Pollution on the Basal DNA Damage of Mother–Newborn Couples of México City |
| title_fullStr | Effect of Air Pollution on the Basal DNA Damage of Mother–Newborn Couples of México City |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effect of Air Pollution on the Basal DNA Damage of Mother–Newborn Couples of México City |
| title_short | Effect of Air Pollution on the Basal DNA Damage of Mother–Newborn Couples of México City |
| title_sort | effect of air pollution on the basal dna damage of mother newborn couples of mexico city |
| topic | comet assay human biomonitoring NOx PM10 tail length |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6304/11/9/766 |
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