Prenatal Exposure to Phthalates and Cord Blood Mononuclear Cell DNA Methylation
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Abstract
By Zhiyang Wang, Biological Sciences
Advisor: Aimin Chen
Abstract: Phthalates are ubiquitous industrial plasticizers, which may lead to harmful DNA methylation. This study investigated the association between prenatal phthalates exposure and cold blood mononuclear cell (CMBC) methylation in infants. We included 13 metabolites of phthalates and phthalate alternatives for 12 mother-newborn dyads. We associated phthalate metabolites with cord blood DNA methylation (to identify differentially methylated regions (DMR) for each phthalate metabolite. Three phthalate metabolites: MECPTP, mNP, and MONP were associated with DNA methylation related to biological function. We found an association between prenatal phthalate exposure and cord blood mononuclear cell DNA methylation.