Prenatal exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances modulates neonatal serum phospholipids, increasing risk of type 1 diabetes
McGlinchey, Aidan; Sinioja, Tim; Lamichhane, Santosh; Sen, Partho; Bodin, Johanna Eva; Siljander, Heli; Dickens, Alex M.; Geng, Dawei; Carlsson, Cecilia; Duberg, Daniel; Ilonen, Jorma; Virtanen, Suvi M.; Dirven, Hubert; Berntsen, Hanne Friis; Zimmer, Karin Elisabeth; Nygaard, Unni Cecilie; Orešič, Matej; Knip, Mikael; Hyötyläinen, Tuulia
Peer reviewed, Journal article
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Date
2020Metadata
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Abstract
In the last decade, increasing incidence of type 1 diabetes (T1D) stabilized in Finland, a phenomenon that coincides with tighter regulation of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Here, we quantified PFAS to examine their effects, during pregnancy, on lipid and immune-related markers of T1D risk in children. In a mother-infant cohort (264 dyads), high PFAS exposure during pregnancy associated with decreased cord serum phospholipids and progression to T1D-associated islet autoantibodies in the offspring. This PFAS-lipid association appears exacerbated by increased human leukocyte antigen-conferred risk of T1D in infants. Exposure to a single PFAS compound or a mixture of organic pollutants in non-obese diabetic mice resulted in a lipid profile characterized by a similar decrease in phospholipids, a marked increase of lithocholic acid, and accelerated insulitis. Our findings suggest that PFAS exposure during pregnancy contributes to risk and pathogenesis of T1D in offspring.