Preliminary evidence for an influence of exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons on the composition of the gut microbiota and neurodevelopment in three-year-old healthy children

BMC Pediatrics

Qian Zhang¹  Bingling Wang²  Ruqin Gao²  Ya Su²  Zhitao Sun²  Zhongqing Sun³  Wei Zhang⁴  Jiahui Song⁴ 

[1] Department of Child Health Care, Huangdao Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital of Qingdao;Department of Environmental Health, Qingdao Municipality Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Qingdao Institute of Preventive Medicine;Department of Food Hygiene, Qingdao Municipality Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Qingdao Institute of Preventive Medicine;Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Qingdao University;

关键词: Children;    Gut microbiota;    Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons;    Neurodevelopment;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12887-021-02539-w

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Abstract Background During the second and third year after birth the gut microbiota (GM) is subjected to important development. The polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) exposure could influence the GM in animal and early postnatal exposure is associated with neurodevelopment disorder in children. This study was designed to explore the possible influence of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) on the composition of the gut microbiota (GM) and neurodevelopment in a sample of 38 healthy children at the age of 3 years. Methods A brief development (Gesell Development Inventory, GDI) and behavior test (Child Behavior Checklist, CBCL) were completed on 3-yr-olds and stool samples were collected for 16S rRNA V4-V5 sequencing. The PAH-DNA adduct in the umbilical cord blood and the urinary hydroxyl PAHs (OH-PAHs) at the age of 12 months were measured as pre- and postnatal PAH exposure, respectively. Results The most abundant two phyla were Bacteroidetes (68.6%) and Firmicutes (24.2%). The phyla Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, Tenericutes, and Lentisphaerae were positively correlated with most domain behaviors of the GDI, whereas the Bacteroidetes, Cyanobacteria, and Fusobacteria were negatively correlated. Correspondingly, the phyla Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, and Fusobacteria showed positive correlations with most CBCL core and broadband syndromes, whereas the Firmicutes, Verrucomicrobia, Synergistetes, Proteobacteria and Tenericules were negatively correlated. The OH-PAH levels were not significantly associated with the Firmicutes phylum whereas the Bacteroidetes, Bacteroidia, and Bacteroidales all showed significant negative association with the OH-PAH levels. Conclusion The current findings suggest that composition of the GM is associated with neurodevelopment of the child. PAHs seem to change the relative abundance of some taxa (some deleted and some recruited) to counteract the negative effects of the PAHs.

【 授权许可】

Unknown