Genetic Susceptibility to Neurotoxicity Related to Prenatal Inorganic Arsenic Exposure in Young Spanish Children

Raquel Soler-Blasco, Sabrina Llop (Corresponding author), Gabriel Riutort-Mayol, Manuel Lozano, Jorge Vallejo-Ortega, Mario Murcia, Ferran Ballester, Amaia Irizar, Ainara Andiarena, Nora Fernandez-Jimenez, Simone Bräuer, Florencia Harari

Publications: Contribution to journalArticlePeer Reviewed

Abstract

We explored the influence of child and maternal single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in genes related to neurological function and arsenic metabolism (i.e., ABCA1, ABCB1, PON1, CYP3A, BDNF, GSTP1, MT2A, and APOE as well as AS3MT) on the association between prenatal arsenic (As) exposure and methylation efficiency and neuropsychological development in 4-5-year-old children. Participants were 549 mother-child pairs from the INMA (Environment and Childhood) Spanish Project. We measured inorganic arsenic (iAs) and the metabolites monomethylarsonic acid (MMA) and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) in urine samples collected during pregnancy. Neuropsychological development was assessed at the age of 4-5 years using the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities (MSCA). Several SNPs were determined in maternal and child DNA; AS3MT and APOE haplotypes were inferred. The median ∑As (sum of iAs, DMA, and MMA) was 7.08 μg/g creatinine. Statistically significant interactions for children's APOE haplotype were observed. Specifically, ε4-carrier children had consistently lower MSCA scores in several scales with increasing ∑As and MMA concentrations. These results provide evidence regarding the neurotoxic effects of early life exposure to As, observing that the APOE ε4 allele could make children more vulnerable to this exposure.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)15366-15378
Number of pages13
JournalEnvironmental Science & Technology
Volume57
Issue number41
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 3 Oct 2023

Austrian Fields of Science 2012

  • 106027 Ecotoxicology
  • 104023 Environmental chemistry

Keywords

  • APOE
  • Arsenic
  • Neurodevelopment
  • Prenatal exposure
  • Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Genetic Susceptibility to Neurotoxicity Related to Prenatal Inorganic Arsenic Exposure in Young Spanish Children'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this