Association of Maternal-Neonatal Steroids With Early Pregnancy Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals and Pregnancy Outcomes

Abstract

Context Steroids play an important role in fetal development and parturition. Gestational exposures to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) affect steroidal milieu and pregnancy outcomes, raising the possibility of steroids serving as biomarkers. Most studies have not addressed the impact of EDC mixtures, which are reflective of real life scenarios. Objective Assess the association of maternal and neonatal steroids with pregnancy outcomes and early pregnancy EDC levels. Design Prospective analysis of mother-infant dyads. Setting University hospital. Participants 121 mother-infant dyads. Main Outcome Measures The associations of maternal and neonatal steroidal hormones from 121 dyads with pregnancy outcomes, the associations of first trimester EDCs individually and as mixtures with maternal and neonatal steroids in a sub-set of 56 dyads and the influence of BMI, age and offspring sex in modulating the EDC associations with steroids were determined. Results (1) Steroid-specific positive or negative associations with pregnancy measures were evident; (2) many maternal first trimester EDCs were negatively associated with estrogens and positively with androgen/estrogen ratios; (3) EDC-steroid associations were influenced by maternal age, pre-pregnancy BMI, and fetal sex and (4) EDCs individually and as mixtures showed direct and inverse fetal sex-dependent associations with maternal and neonatal steroids. Conclusions This proof-of-concept study indicates association of steroids with pregnancy outcomes depending on maternal age, pre-pregnancy BMI, and fetal sex, with the effects of EDCs differing when considered individually or as mixtures. These findings suggest that steroidal hormonal measures have potential to serve as biomarkers of impact of EDC exposures and pregnancy outcome.

Alignment and Analysis of a Disparately Acquired Multibatch Metabolomics Study of Maternal Pregnancy Samples

“…Our group has previously demonstrated that steroids increase during pregnancy to promote fetal and placenta development and ultimately parturition. 60 In our previous work, 21 multiple lipid spe-cies�PCs, PEs, SMs, and triacylglycerols (TG)�containing long and very long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids were higher in CB than M3, provisioning essential fatty acids for the developing fetal brain. 51 The untargeted metabolomics platform supported these results, demonstrating significant increases of several long chain polyunsaturated PCs and PEs in CB.…”

“…Using MS/MS spectral search, several of the features that most significantly increased from M1 to M3 were identified as steroid hormones. Our group has previously demonstrated that steroids increase during pregnancy to promote fetal and placenta development and ultimately parturition . In our previous work, multiple lipid speciesPCs, PEs, SMs, and triacylglycerols (TG)containing long and very long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids were higher in CB than M3, provisioning essential fatty acids for the developing fetal brain .…”

Osteoblasts Generate Testosterone From DHEA and Activate Androgen Signaling in Prostate Cancer Cells

“…( 27 ) The 3‐hydroxy‐delta‐5‐steroids were quantitated after liquid–liquid extraction with methyl‐tert‐butyl ether and derivatization as picolinic acid esters, using a Kinetex 50 x 2.1 mm, 2.6‐μm particle size biphenyl resolving column and an Agilent 6490 tandem mass spectrometer as described. ( 28,29 )…”

The Management of Pregnancy Complicated with the Previable Preterm and Preterm Premature Rupture of the Membranes: What about a Limit of Neonatal Viability?—A Review

“…For this reason, steroid therapy should be initiated only in those patients who are likely to give birth within two weeks of the start of the therapy. The use of prenatal steroids may be associated with maternal side effects and result in generalized bacterial infection, tuberculosis, and viral infections (shingles, Herpes); uncontrolled metabolic diseases, including diabetes and unresponsive hypertension; or active gastric ulcer and duodenum [ 60 , 61 ]. However, the risk of generalized fetal and maternal infection occurrence should not decide about initiating the prophylactic intervention, as the advantages of earlier pulmonary development were proven and are much higher than the side effects of steroids administration [ 30 , 58 ].…”