Associations between prenatal blood metals and vitamins and cord blood peptide hormone concentrations

Background: Nonessential metals have endocrine-disrupting properties, interfere with cellular processes, generate reactive oxygen, and deplete antioxidants, while essential metals and vitamins act as antioxidants. The extent to which prenatal metals and vitamins are associated with cord blood hormones involved in maternal and fetal metabolic and growth processes is unknown. Methods: We measured six nonessential (arsenic, barium, cadmium, cesium, lead, and mercury) and four essential (magnesium, manganese, selenium, and zinc) metals and trace elements, and two vitamins (B12 and folate) in first-trimester blood from participants in the longitudinal prebirth Project Viva cohort, who were recruited between 1999 and 2002 in eastern Massachusetts. We measured adiponectin, C-peptide, insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1, IGF-2, IGF binding protein (IGFBP)-3, insulin, and leptin concentrations in cord blood (similar to n = 695). We used covariate-adjusted quantile g-computation for mixtures and linear regression for individual exposures to estimate associations with cord blood peptide hormones. Results: The essential metal mixture (magnesium, manganese, selenium, and zinc) was associated with higher IGF-1 (beta = 3.20 ng/ml per quartile; 95% CI = 0.39, 6.01), IGF-2 (beta = 10.93 ng/ml; 95% CI = 0.08, 21.79), and leptin (beta = 1.03 ng/ml; 95% CI = 0.25, 1.80). Magnesium was associated with higher leptin (beta = 2.90 ng/ml; 95% CI = 0.89, 4.91), while B12 was associated with lower adiponectin, IGF-2, and leptin but higher C-peptide. Other individual nonessential metals were associated with cord blood hormones. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that some prenatal metals and vitamins are associated with cord blood hormones, which may influence growth and development.