Journal article
Associations between serum concentrations of perfluoroalkyl substances and DNA methylation in women exposed through drinking water: A pilot study in Ronneby, Sweden.
- Xu Y School of Public Health and Community Medicine, Institute of Medicine, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden. Electronic address: yiyi.xu@amm.gu.se.
- Jurkovic-Mlakar S CANSEARCH Research Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland. Electronic address: Simona.Mlakar@unige.ch.
- Lindh CH Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden. Electronic address: christian.lindh@med.lu.se.
- Scott K Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden. Electronic address: kristin.scott@med.lu.se.
- Fletcher T London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom. Electronic address: Tony.Fletcher@lshtm.ac.uk.
- Jakobsson K School of Public Health and Community Medicine, Institute of Medicine, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden; Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden. Electronic address: Kristina.jakobsson@amm.gu.se.
- Engström K EPI@LUND, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden. Electronic address: Karin.engstrom@med.lu.se.
- 2020-10-02
Published in:
- Environment international. - 2020
English
BACKGROUND
Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are widespread synthetic substances with various adverse health effects. A potential mechanism of toxicity for PFAS is via epigenetic changes, such as DNA methylation. However, few studies have evaluated associations between PFAS exposure and DNA methylation among adults, and data is especially scarce for women. Furthermore, exposure to environmental pollutants has been associated with epigenetic age acceleration, but no studies have yet evaluated whether PFAS is associated with epigenetic age acceleration.
OBJECTIVES
To investigate whether exposure to PFAS is associated with alteration of DNA methylation and epigenetic age acceleration among women.
METHODS
In this observational pilot study, 59 women (aged 20-47 years at enrollment in 2014) from Ronneby, Sweden, an area with historically high PFAS exposure due to local drinking water contamination, were divided into three PFAS exposure groups (low, medium, and high). Genome-wide methylation of whole-blood DNA was analyzed using the Infinium MethylationEPIC BeadChip. Ingenuity Pathway Analysis was used for in silico functional assessment. Epigenetic age acceleration was derived from the DNA methylation data using Horvath's epigenetic skin and blood clock.
RESULTS
117 differentially methylated positions (q < 0.017) and one near-significantly differentially methylated region (S100A13, FWER = 0.020) were identified. In silico functional analyses suggested that genes with altered DNA methylation (q < 0.05) were annotated to cancer, endocrine system disorders, reproductive system disease, as well as pathways such as estrogen receptor signaling, cardiac hypertrophy signaling, PPARα/RXRα activation and telomerase signaling. No differences in epigenetic age acceleration between PFAS exposure groups were noted (p = 0.43).
CONCLUSION
The data suggests that PFAS exposure alters DNA methylation in women highly exposed to PFAS from drinking water. The observed associations should be verified in larger cohorts, and it should also be further investigated whether these changes in methylation also underlie potential phenotypic changes and/or adverse health effects of PFAS.
Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are widespread synthetic substances with various adverse health effects. A potential mechanism of toxicity for PFAS is via epigenetic changes, such as DNA methylation. However, few studies have evaluated associations between PFAS exposure and DNA methylation among adults, and data is especially scarce for women. Furthermore, exposure to environmental pollutants has been associated with epigenetic age acceleration, but no studies have yet evaluated whether PFAS is associated with epigenetic age acceleration.
OBJECTIVES
To investigate whether exposure to PFAS is associated with alteration of DNA methylation and epigenetic age acceleration among women.
METHODS
In this observational pilot study, 59 women (aged 20-47 years at enrollment in 2014) from Ronneby, Sweden, an area with historically high PFAS exposure due to local drinking water contamination, were divided into three PFAS exposure groups (low, medium, and high). Genome-wide methylation of whole-blood DNA was analyzed using the Infinium MethylationEPIC BeadChip. Ingenuity Pathway Analysis was used for in silico functional assessment. Epigenetic age acceleration was derived from the DNA methylation data using Horvath's epigenetic skin and blood clock.
RESULTS
117 differentially methylated positions (q < 0.017) and one near-significantly differentially methylated region (S100A13, FWER = 0.020) were identified. In silico functional analyses suggested that genes with altered DNA methylation (q < 0.05) were annotated to cancer, endocrine system disorders, reproductive system disease, as well as pathways such as estrogen receptor signaling, cardiac hypertrophy signaling, PPARα/RXRα activation and telomerase signaling. No differences in epigenetic age acceleration between PFAS exposure groups were noted (p = 0.43).
CONCLUSION
The data suggests that PFAS exposure alters DNA methylation in women highly exposed to PFAS from drinking water. The observed associations should be verified in larger cohorts, and it should also be further investigated whether these changes in methylation also underlie potential phenotypic changes and/or adverse health effects of PFAS.
- Language
-
- English
- Open access status
- gold
- Identifiers
-
- DOI 10.1016/j.envint.2020.106148
- PMID 33007577
- Persistent URL
- https://sonar.ch/global/documents/138121
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