Ambient air pollution and inflammation-related proteins during early childhood.

He S, Klevebro S, Baldanzi G, Pershagen G, Lundberg B, Eneroth K, Hedman AM, Andolf E, Almqvist C, Bottai M, Melén E, Gruzieva O

Environ. Res. 215 (Pt 2) 114364 [2022-12-00; online 2022-09-17]

Experimental studies show that short-term exposure to air pollution may alter cytokine concentrations. There is, however, a lack of epidemiological studies evaluating the association between long-term air pollution exposure and inflammation-related proteins in young children. Our objective was to examine whether air pollution exposure is associated with inflammation-related proteins during the first 2 years of life. In a pooled analysis of two birth cohorts from Stockholm County (n = 158), plasma levels of 92 systemic inflammation-related proteins were measured by Olink Proseek Multiplex Inflammation panel at 6 months, 1 year and 2 years of age. Time-weighted average exposure to particles with an aerodynamic diameter of <10 μm (PM10), <2.5 μm (PM2.5), and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) at residential addresses from birth and onwards was estimated via validated dispersion models. Stratified by sex, longitudinal cross-referenced mixed effect models were applied to estimate the overall effect of preceding air pollution exposure on combined protein levels, "inflammatory proteome", over the first 2 years of life, followed by cross-sectional protein-specific bootstrapped quantile regression analysis. We identified significant longitudinal associations of inflammatory proteome during the first 2 years of life with preceding PM2.5 exposure, while consistent associations with PM10 and NO2 across ages were only observed among girls. Subsequent protein-specific analyses revealed significant associations of PM10 exposure with an increase in IFN-gamma and IL-12B in boys, and a decrease in IL-8 in girls at different percentiles of proteins levels, at age 6 months. Several inflammation-related proteins were also significantly associated with preceding PM10, PM2.5 and NO2 exposures, at ages 1 and 2 years, in a sex-specific manner. Ambient air pollution exposure influences inflammation-related protein levels already during early childhood. Our results also suggest age- and sex-specific differences in the impact of air pollution on children's inflammatory profiles.

PubMed 36126692

DOI 10.1016/j.envres.2022.114364

Crossref 10.1016/j.envres.2022.114364

pii: S0013-9351(22)01691-7


Publications 9.5.1