Placental Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) Levels Are Associated with Spontaneous Preterm Birth.

ABSTRACT: While the cause of preterm birth (PTB) (i.e., delivery before 37 weeks of gestation) is likely multifactorial, ambient exposure to environmental chemicals has been postulated to play a role in its etiology. Our prior studies of exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in pregnancy have shown an increased level of placental PAH-induced bulky DNA adducts with increasing levels of PAH exposures. In this investigation, we hypothesized that higher levels of placental PAHs would be associated with an increased risk of PTB. Using gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS), we measured levels of benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), benzo(b)fluoranthene (BbF) and dibenz(a,h)anthracene (DBA) from n = 323 subjects. We found higher levels of BbF in placentae collected from preterm compared with t

SUBMITTER: Hummel G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12428254 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature