Immune Netw.  2019 Dec;19(6):e42. 10.4110/in.2019.19.e42.

Prenatal Exposure to Lead and Chromium is Associated with IL-13 Levels in Umbilical Cord Blood and Severity of Atopic Dermatitis: COCOA Study

• Kim J
• Kim S
• Woo SY
• Chung JY
• Hong YS
• Oh SY
• Choi SJ
• Oh SY
• Kim KW
• Shin YH
• Won HS
• Lee KJ
• Kim SH
• Kwon JY
• Lee SH
• Hong SJ
• Ahn K

• KMID: 2466612
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4110/in.2019.19.e42

Abstract

There have been few studies investigating the association between atopic dermatitis (AD) and prenatal exposure to heavy metals. We aimed to evaluate whether prenatal exposure to heavy metals is associated with the development or severity of AD in a birth cohort study. A total of 331 subjects were followed from birth for a median duration of 60.0 months. The presence and severity of AD were evaluated at ages 6 and 12 months, and regularly once a year thereafter. The concentrations of lead, mercury, chromium, and cadmium in umbilical cord blood were measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Cord blood mononuclear cells (CBMCs) were isolated and stimulated for analysis of cytokine production using ELISA. Heavy metal levels in cord blood were not associated with the development of AD until 24 months of age. However, a positive correlation was observed between the duration of AD and lead levels in cord blood (p=0.002). AD severity was also positively associated with chromium concentrations in cord blood (p=0.037), while cord blood levels of lead, mercury, and cadmium were not significantly associated with AD severity (p=0.562, p=0.054, and p=0.055, respectively). Interleukin-13 production in CBMCs was positively related with lead and chromium levels in cord blood (p=0.021 and p=0.015, respectively). Prenatal exposure to lead and chromium is associated with the persistence and severity of AD, and the immune reaction toward a Th2 polarization.

Keyword

Dermatitis, atopic; Cohort studies; Chromium; Fetal blood; Interleukin-13

MeSH Terms

Cacao*
Cadmium
Chromium*
Cohort Studies
Dermatitis, Atopic*
Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
Fetal Blood*
Interleukin-13*
Mass Spectrometry
Metals, Heavy
Parturition
Plasma
Umbilical Cord*
Cadmium
Chromium
Interleukin-13
Metals, Heavy

Figure

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  Figure 1. Correlation between lead levels in cord blood and the duration of AD in 103 children whose skin symptoms lasted for more than 6 months. Statistical analysis was done using partial Spearman's correlation analysis after adjustment for gender, presence of siblings, season of birth, and antibiotic treatment during the first 6 months of life (ρ=0.308, p=0.002).

• 

  Figure 2. Association between mercury levels in cord blood and SCORAD in children with AD. Mixed model was applied after adjustment for season of birth (p=0.004).

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  Figure 3. Relationship between heavy metal levels and IL-13 in umbilical cord blood. Mixed model was applied to analyze the association of IL-13 with (A) lead (Pb, µg/dl), (B) mercury (Hg, µg/l), (C) chromium (Cr, µg/l), and (D) cadmium (Cd, µg/l). IL-13 levels in cord blood was positively correlated with only lead levels in cord blood (p=0.028).

Reference

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