Tiny particles in air pollution affect important lipid transport genes in the placenta, showing how exposure may cause conditions like preeclampsia and low birth weight
Polluted air contributed to the deaths of more than 6.6 million people worldwide in 2019. It accounts for around 20 percent of newborn deaths globally, mostly due to preterm birth and low birth weight. Because of this, it is crucial that researchers and policymakers working to improve public health understand how different aspects of various types of air pollution and their associated biological responses affect fetal development.
To add to this understanding, researchers at Texas A&M University and other institutions conducted a study of air pollution’s effects on fetal development in an experimental model. In the study, published in the journal Toxicological Sciences, recent Texas A&M School of Public Health doctoral candidate Jonathan Behlen, associate professor Natalie Johnson, PhD, and colleagues analyzed the effects of exposure to different concentrations of ultrafine particles (UFPs) on fetal development and how exposure affected expression of certain genes in the placenta.
Particulate matter is a major type of air pollution that consists of particles suspended in the air. The smallest of these particles, UFPs, are smaller than 100 nanometers. A growing body of evidence is pointing to UFPs having harmful effects during pregnancy; however, there is less certainty about what mechanisms are involved in these adverse outcomes.
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