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Neonatal, placental, and umbilical cord blood parameters in pregnant women residing in areas with intensive pesticide application

Environmental Science and Pollution Research volume 24, pages 20736–20746 (2017)Cite this article

Abstract

In rural populations, the proximity to areas with intensive pesticide application represents a risk factor of xenobiotic exposure. Here, we investigated whether newborns born to mothers residing in an area with intensive pesticide application show alterations in placental and neonatal morphometric standards, umbilical cord blood (UCB) biochemical parameters, and/or biomarkers related to oxidative stress and oxidative damage. Samples were collected from 151 healthy pregnant women residing in a rural area (rural group; RG) during the pesticide spraying (SS) and nonspraying (NSS) seasons, as well as from women from an urban population (control group; CG), and grouped according to the delivery type (vaginal or cesarean). In the vaginal delivery group, the placental weight and placental index were higher in the RG groups than in the CG (p = 0.01), whereas in the cesarean delivery group, newborn weight was lower in the RG-SS group than in the CG. In the RG-SS group, UCB erythrocyte osmotic fragility and the DNA damage index (DI) were higher, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity was lower than in the RG-NSS group. Acetylcholinesterase and SOD activities were found to be inversely correlated with the DI.

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Acknowledgements

Funding was provided by the National University of Comahue [I004/3, 2009–2012], the Argentine Scientific and Technological Research Fund (FONCyT) [PICT-Redes 2007-00214, 2008–2012], and the Argentine Ministry of Health through the Ramón Carrillo-Arturo Oñativia Program [NRU: CONV09/00064, 2009–2011]. We would like to thank Silvia Santa Cruz, Natalia Quidel, and the health personnel of the Neuquén Public Hospital for their collaboration in the collection of the samples. We also would like to thank all the study participants.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Av. Luis Toschi y Los Arrayanes, 8324, Cipolletti, Río Negro, Argentina

    María Martha Quintana, Berta Vera & Gladis Magnarelli

  2. Centro de Investigaciones en Toxicología Ambiental y Agrobiotecnología del Comahue (CITAAC), CONICET, Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Buenos Aires 1400, 8300, Neuquén, Argentina

    María Martha Quintana, Berta Vera & Natalia Guiñazú

  3. Departamento de Ciencias del Ambiente, Facultad de Ciencias del Ambiente y la Salud, Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Buenos Aires 1400, 8300, Neuquén, Argentina

    Natalia Guiñazú

  4. Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Intendente Güiraldes 2160, C1428EGA, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    María Gabriela Rovedatti

  5. Laboratorio de Toxicología de Mezclas Químicas (LATOMEQ), Departamento de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Universitaria, Pabellón II, 4to piso, Intendente Güiraldes 2160, C1428EGA, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    María Gabriela Rovedatti

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  1. María Martha Quintana
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  2. Berta Vera
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  3. Gladis Magnarelli
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  4. Natalia Guiñazú
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Correspondence to María Gabriela Rovedatti.

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Quintana, M.M., Vera, B., Magnarelli, G. et al. Neonatal, placental, and umbilical cord blood parameters in pregnant women residing in areas with intensive pesticide application. Environ Sci Pollut Res 24, 20736–20746 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-017-9642-9

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