Perinatal Exposure to Lead or Diethylhexyl Phthalate in Mice: Sex-Specific Effects on Cardiac DNA Methylation and Gene Expression across Time.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Global and site-specific changes in DNA methylation and gene expression are associated with cardiovascular development, aging, and disease, but how the transcriptome and epigenome of the heart change across the life course in males vs. females and how chemical exposures early in life influence this programming have not yet been investigated.

Objectives

We used an established mouse model of developmental exposures to investigate the effects of perinatal exposure to either lead (Pb) or diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), two ubiquitous environmental contaminants that are both strongly associated with cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), on DNA methylation and gene expression across the life course in whole hearts.

Methods

Dams were randomly assigned to receive human ph

SUBMITTER: Wang K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12169510 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature