The Role of Air Pollution Exposure and <i>GSTM1-/GSTT1</i>-Null Genotypes in Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Development: A Case–Control Study on Gene–Environment Interactions

The Role of Air Pollution Exposure and <i>GSTM1-/GSTT1</i>-Null Genotypes in Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Development: A Case–Control Study on Gene–Environment Interactions

As gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) rises as a major public health concern, various factors have been identified as potential contributors, with air pollution drawing increasing attention. The mechanisms by which air pollutants lead to detrimental impacts are largely attributed to oxidative stres...

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Main Authors: Ana Susa, Dragana Davidovic, Nadja Nikolic, Tamara Sljivancanin Jakovljevic, Vera Kujundzic, Sladjana Mihajlovic, Ljiljana Bogdanovic
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-05-01
Series:Antioxidants
Subjects:
gestational diabetes mellitus
air pollution
glutathione transferase
particulate matter
ozone
gene–environment interaction
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3921/14/6/652
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Summary:As gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) rises as a major public health concern, various factors have been identified as potential contributors, with air pollution drawing increasing attention. The mechanisms by which air pollutants lead to detrimental impacts are largely attributed to oxidative stress. However, the role of air pollution is still not entirely clarified, suggesting that additional factors, such as genetic variability, particularly of genes involved in redox homeostasis, influence the GDM risk. This study addresses three questions: (1) whether ambient PM<sub>2.5</sub>, PM<sub>10</sub>, O<sub>3</sub>, and NO<sub>2</sub> exposures associate with GDM risk; (2) if <i>GSTM1-/GSTT1</i>-null genotypes affect the risk of GDM; and (3) whether these genotypes modify pollution–GDM associations. This case–control study comprised 133 women in the case group and 144 in the control group. Exposure to air pollutants was assessed based on the participants’ residential addresses and during different time windows: pre-pregnancy period, first trimester, and second trimester. <i>GSTM1/GSTT1</i> genotyping was conducted from blood samples. Higher PM<sub>2.5</sub>, PM<sub>10</sub>, and O<sub>3</sub> levels increased GDM risk in women. While <i>GSTM1-/GSTT1</i>-null genotypes showed no overall link to GDM, non-smokers with <i>GSTM1</i>-null had higher GDM risk when exposed to PM<sub>2.5</sub> during the first trimester. While further research on gene–environment interactions is needed, our findings highlight that reducing air pollution may lower GDM risk.
ISSN:2076-3921

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