Expression of cord blood cytochrome P450 1A1 gene according to the air pollution level of the maternal residence area

BACKGROUND This study aimed to compare the cytochrome P450 1A1 (CYP1A1) gene expression in the cord blood of infants born from mothers living in low- and high-air polluted areas. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study was conducted in Spring 2012 in Isfahan, the second large and air-polluted city in Iran. The study comprised 60 neonates, consisting of 30 infants born from mothers residing in areas with high levels of air pollution and an equal number of infants born in areas with a lower air pollution level. The umbilical cord blood sample was taken immediately after birth. The relative gene expression levels of CYP1A1 were examined using real time-polymerase chain reaction method. RESULTS CYP1A1 gene expression level was 3.3-fold higher in the group living in areas with higher pollution level than in the other group (P = 0.01). No significant difference existed in the mean values of maternal age, gestational age, the newborns' birth weight, and the gender distribution between the two groups. CONCLUSION This study provides confirmatory evidence of prenatal health hazards of ambient air pollution and highlights the need for pollution prevention programs to protect women of childbearing age and their children. The clinical implications of this study finding should be confirmed in future longitudinal studies.