Placental uptake and transfer of environmental chemicals relating to allergy in childhood years: PLUTOCRACY

Abstract

The primary objectives of the study were to investigate whether neonatal (cord blood) cytokines and maternal cytokines at delivery were predictive biomarkers of allergic outcomes in children at 18 months of age, and also to evaluate if allergy outcome in the child is affected by the pollutants. The secondary objective was to assess the effect of pollutants on immune status of the mother, placenta cytokines, cord blood cytokines and child cytokines. Multiple regression models, Multiple logistic regression models and Multivariate logistic regression models were fitted to the data. Further, Receiver Operating Characteristic curves were used to determine the predictive ability of cord blood cytokines, maternal cytokines and pollutants for allergic outcomes. A model cumulating allergies disclosed that, increased levels of sum of Organochlorine insecticides in breast milk (BM-sum3), Lead in placenta (Pbplacenta) and il4hacord cytokines increase the probability of manifesting atleast one of the allergies. Higher levels of the sum of Organochlorine insecticides in placenta (PLAT-sum3) and Lead in maternal blood serum (Pbblood) reduce chances of manifesting atleast one allergy in child. The probability of manifesting atleast one allergy is predicted by variables region, il4hacord, BM-sum3, Pbplacenta, PLAT-sum3 and Pbblood. Multivariate models revealed that, higher levels of il4phacord, il5phacord, il10phacord and INFgmaternal increase the probability of manifesting all four allergies. In the presence of Phadinhalant, children in Slovakia have a lower probability of having all allergies than children in Belgium. Elevated levels of INFgphamaternal in the maternal blood serum increase the probability of developing all four allergies in the absence of Phadinhalant. Increased concentrations of Cadmium in placenta, sum of Organochlorine insecticides in maternal blood and sum of Organochlorine insecticides in breast milk increase the probability of developing all four allergies. Higher levels of Lead in maternal blood serum, sum of Chlorinated benzenes in maternal blood serum, sum of PCBs in breast milk, sum of PCBs in maternal blood serum and sum of PCBs in placenta reduce the probability of developing all four allergies. Multivariate models confirmed that cytokines il4phacord, il5phacord and il10phacord predict Atopic eczema. Also, INFgphamaternal cytokines and country predict food allergies and Atopic eczema. Lead in maternal blood serum, sum of PCBs in placenta, sum of PCBs in breast milk, sum of Organochlorine insecticides in breast milk, sum of PCBs in maternal blood serum, Cadmium in placenta and sum of Organochlorine insecticides in maternal blood serum predict Atopic eczema in child.