Biomarkers used in studying air pollution exposure during pregnancy and perinatal outcomes: a review

AbstractPurpose: This review focuses on studies among pregnant women that used biomarkers to assess air pollution exposure, or to understand the mechanisms by which it affects perinatal outcomes.Methods: We searched PubMed and Google scholar databases to find articles.Results and conclusions: We found 29 articles, mostly consisting of cohort studies. Interpolation models were most frequently used to assess exposure. The most consistent positive association was between polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) exposure during entire pregnancy and cord blood PAH DNA adducts. Exposure to particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) showed consistent inverse associations with mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) content, particularly in the third trimester of pregnancy. No single pollutant showed strong associations with all the biomarkers included in this review. C-reactive proteins (CRPs) and oxidative stress markers increased, whereas telomere length decreased with increasing air pollution exposure. Placental globa...