Dataset Information

Pop, heavy metal and the blues: secondary analysis of persistent organic pollutants (POP), heavy metals and depressive symptoms in the NHANES National Epidemiological Survey.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

Persistent environmental pollutants, including heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants (POPs), have a ubiquitous presence. Many of these pollutants affect neurobiological processes, either accidentally or by design. The aim of this study was to explore the associations between assayed measures of POPs and heavy metals and depressive symptoms. We hypothesised that higher levels of pollutants and metals would be associated with depressive symptoms.

Setting

National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).

Participants

A total of 15?140 eligible people were included across the three examined waves of NHANES.

Primary and secondary outcome measures

Depressive symptoms were assessed using the nine-item version of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), using a cut-off point of 9/10 as likely depression cases. Organic pollutants and heavy metals, including cadmium, lead and mercury, as well as polyfluorinated compounds (PFCs), pesticides, phenols and phthalates, were measured in blood or urine.

Results

Higher cadmium was positively associated with depression (adjusted Prevalence Ratios (PR)=1.48, 95% CI 1.16 to 1.90). Higher levels of mercury were negatively associated with depression (adjusted PR=0.62, 95% CI 0.50 to 0.78), and mercury was associated with increased fish consumption (n=5500, r=0.366, p<0.001). In addition, several PFCs (perfluorooctanoic acid, perfluorohexane sulfonic acid, perfluorodecanoic acid and perfluorononanoic acid) were negatively associated with the prevalence of depression.

Conclusions

Cadmium was associated with an increased likelihood of depression. Contrary to hypotheses, many of persistent environmental pollutants were not associated or negatively associated with depression. While the inverse association between mercury and depressive symptoms may be explained by a protective role for fish consumption, the negative associations with other pollutants remains unclear. This exploratory study suggests the need for further investigation of the role of various agents and classes of agents in the pathophysiology of depression.

SUBMITTER: Berk M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4120423 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Pop, heavy metal and the blues: secondary analysis of persistent organic pollutants (POP), heavy metals and depressive symptoms in the NHANES National Epidemiological Survey.

Berk Michael M Williams Lana J LJ Andreazza Ana C AC Pasco Julie A JA Dodd Seetal S Jacka Felice N FN Moylan Steven S Reiner Eric J EJ Magalhaes Pedro V S PV

BMJ open 20140718 7

<h4>Objectives</h4>Persistent environmental pollutants, including heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants (POPs), have a ubiquitous presence. Many of these pollutants affect neurobiological processes, either accidentally or by design. The aim of this study was to explore the associations between assayed measures of POPs and heavy metals and depressive symptoms. We hypothesised that higher levels of pollutants and metals would be associated with depressive symptoms.<h4>Setting</h4>National ...[more]

PMID: 25037643

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Project description:Exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs), such as dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), has historically been linked to population collapses in wildlife. Despite international regulations, these legacy chemicals are still currently detected in women of reproductive age, and their levels correlate with reduced ovarian reserve, longer time-to-pregnancy, and higher risk of infertility. However, the specific modes of action underlying these associations remain unclear. Here, we examined the effects of five commonly occurring POPs − hexachlorobenzene (HCB), p,p'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE), 2,3,3′,4,4′,5-hexachlorobiphenyl (PCB156), 2,2′,3,4,4′,5,5′-heptachlorobiphenyl (PCB180), perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) − and their mixture on human ovaries in vitro. We exposed human ovarian cancer cell lines COV434, KGN, and PA1 as well as primary ovarian cells for 24 h, and ovarian tissue containing unilaminar follicles for 6 days. RNA-sequencing of samples exposed to concentrations covering epidemiologically relevant levels revealed significant gene expression changes related to central energy metabolism in the exposed cells, indicating glycolysis, oxidative phosphorylation, fatty acid metabolism, and reactive oxygen species as potential shared targets of POP exposures in ovarian cells. Alpha-enolase (ENO1), lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA), cytochrome C oxidase subunit 4I1 (COX4I1), ATP synthase F1 subunit alpha (ATP5A), and glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) were validated as targets through qPCR in additional cell culture experiments in KGN. In ovarian tissue cultures, we observed significant effects of exposure on follicle growth and atresia as well as protein expression. All POP exposures, except PCB180, decreased unilaminar follicle proportion and increased follicle atresia. Immunostaining confirmed altered expression of LDHA, ATP5A, and GPX4 in the exposed tissues. Moreover, POP exposures modified ATP production in KGN and tissue culture. In conclusion, our results demonstrate the disruption of cellular energy metabolism as a novel mode of action underlying POP-mediated interference of follicle growth in human ovaries.

Project description:BackgroundExposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as dioxins, furans, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) may influence leukocyte telomere length (LTL), a biomarker associated with chronic disease. In vitro research suggests dioxins may bind to the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) and induce telomerase activity, which elongates LTL. However, few epidemiologic studies have investigated associations between POPs and LTL.ObjectivesWe examined the association between 18 PCBs, 7 dioxins, and 9 furans and LTL among 1,330 U.S. adults from NHANES 2001-2002.MethodsWe created three summed POP metrics based on toxic equivalency factor (TEF), a potency measure including affinity for the AhR: a) non-dioxin-like PCBs (composed of 10 non-dioxin-like PCBs; no AhR affinity and no TEF); b) non-ortho PCBs (composed of 2 non-ortho-substituted PCBs with high TEFs); and c) toxic equivalency (TEQ) (composed of 7 dioxins, 9 furans, 2 non-ortho-substituted PCBs, and 6 mono-ortho-substituted PCBs; weighted by TEF). We tested the association between each metric and LTL using linear regression, adjusting for demographics, blood cell count and distribution, and another metric with a different TEF (i.e., non-ortho PCBs and TEQ adjusted for non-dioxin-like PCBs; non-dioxin-like PCBs adjusted for non-ortho PCBs).ResultsIn adjusted models, each doubling of serum concentrations of non-ortho PCBs and TEQ was associated with 3.74% (95% CI: 2.10, 5.40) and 5.29% (95% CI: 1.66, 9.05) longer LTLs, respectively. Compared with the lowest quartile, the highest quartile of exposure was associated with 9.16% (95% CI: 2.96, 15.73) and 7.84% (95% CI: -0.53, 16.92) longer LTLs, respectively. Non-dioxin-like PCBs were not associated with LTL.ConclusionsPOPs with high TEFs and AhR affinity were associated with longer LTL. Because many dioxin-associated cancers are also associated with longer LTL, these results may provide insight into the mechanisms underlying PCB- and dioxin-related carcinogenesis.CitationMitro SD, Birnbaum LS, Needham BL, Zota AR. 2016. Cross-sectional associations between exposure to persistent organic pollutants and leukocyte telomere length among U.S. adults in NHANES, 2001-2002. Environ Health Perspect 124:651-658;?http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1510187.

Dataset Information

Pop, heavy metal and the blues: secondary analysis of persistent organic pollutants (POP), heavy metals and depressive symptoms in the NHANES National Epidemiological Survey.

Objectives

Setting

Participants

Primary and secondary outcome measures

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Pop, heavy metal and the blues: secondary analysis of persistent organic pollutants (POP), heavy metals and depressive symptoms in the NHANES National Epidemiological Survey.

Similar Datasets

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